When Earvin "Magic" Johnson was diagnosed with HIV, he was lucky enough to have the financial resources to be able to afford some of the best treatment offered. But not everyone with HIV or AIDS is as fortunate as Johnson to delay the disease's consumption or to ease the resulting suffering. When groups such as the Lansing Area AIDS Network, or LAAN, offer free anonymous HIV testing and counseling, the financial burden is greatly lifted.

By the end of December 2001, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 816,149 new cases of people living with HIV in the United States. Nearly a quarter of a million cases go unreported and untreated because people are unaware they are infected with the disease. Imagine how many of these cases could have been prevented if free testing was made available to at least some of these people.

Much of society has become too comfortable with the harsh reality of living with a disease because many are no longer afraid of deadly diseases such as AIDS. A mass panic was generated with the discovery of AIDS, but since then people have become jaded, even though the disease still remains a serious threat. The truth is that HIV and AIDS complications are as deadly as ever, killing as many as 467,910 people each year.

There is no cure for HIV, and the best weapon against new cases is the early detection through free testing and continued education of prevention. The fear of people knowing their HIV status prevents many sexually active individuals from taking advantage of the testing and other resources provided by groups such as the AIDS network.

Free testing can help people avoid further transfusion of the disease, and therefore help to eradicate or contain it.

And this especially holds true on college campuses across the nation. As some students explore their sexuality among rampant drug use, the chance to spread STDs and other diseases is great.