BOSTON – Larry Day was diagnosed with HIV in April, 1996, after being tested without giving his consent. He arrived at the hospital sick, and the doctor tested him for HIV without his knowledge. Without the opportunity for counseling or a conversation with the doctor, he said, he wasn’t mentally prepared to hear the news.

The goal of National HIV Testing Day (NHTD) is to encourage routine testing and early detection of HIV, according to the National Association of People with AIDS, the organization that founded NHTD 18 years ago. And throughout the country, organizations and governments are working toward this goal. Indeed, the US has jumped on the routinized testing bandwagon. But here's the catch–there’s a delicate balance that must be struck when it comes to making HIV tests routine, said Larry Day, Manager of HIV Health Promotion at the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts.

CAPE TOWN—The ladies, as they have come to be known, arrive to work by 9:00 every morning. Their office is an old mini bus (taxi) station in the center of Langa township. The dilapidated white building is dark inside; a table lined with blue plastic chairs is set up by the window, and two men sit in a small office behind security glass. Resembling a YMCA-meets-doctor’s office, this station has housed the Langa Action Community AIDS Program (L.A.C.A.P.) for seven years.

The nation’s capital has released more information about its epidemic – and it’s a mixed picture. The District reported Wednesday that the number of residents infected with HIV in 2010 has increased by nearly 3,000 people since 2006, but DC's overall prevalence rate has dropped from 3.2 percent in 2009 to 2.7 percent. So is DC making progress in its AIDS fight?