Montana's Department of Public Health and Human Services reports that, since January 1, there have been 19 new HIV cases diagnosed in the state.

For the last several years, the department says there's been an average of about 20 newly diagnosed cases a year. The agency's director, Anna Whiting Sorrell, says that to have 19 cases before the end of June suggests people may be increasingly putting themselves at risk.

Laurie Kops, Montana STD/HIV Section Supervisor, said, "It's just a little bit alarming to us that we've got those numbers, but it's not that we don't expect those numbers because we think that there are folks out there who don't know what their status is. So on one hand it's a good thing that we're finding more and more cases so we can get them into treatment. On the other hand, we don't want to find any cases."

National HIV Testing Day is Saturday, June 27. Sorrell says it's a good reminder to think about being tested for HIV.

HIV is a life-long infection but is preventable and can best be treated following early detection..

However, many receive an HIV diagnosis with an AIDS diagnosis which indicates the virus has been progressing for a long time.