Free, confidential HIV counseling and testing is to be offered Monday from noon to 4 p.m. at the Windsor Street Health Center in recognition of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, said Claude-Alix Jacob, chief public health officer for Cambridge.

“HIV/AIDS is a silent epidemic in the black community,” Jacob said. “We encourage everyone to get tested and know their status.”

The nation’s black community has been hardest hit by HIV and AIDS, with black men and women accounting for about 45% of new infections annually. Among people of all races and ethnicities in the United States, black men have the highest rate of new HIV infections, followed by black women.

Health experts estimate that more than 1 million people in the United States are living with HIV infection, and that one in five don’t know it, Jacob said.

The counseling and testing event is open to all people age 18 and older. The health center is at 119 Windsor St., Cambridge, with informational materials available in the building lobby and testing taking place in the first-floor clinic.

For information, call Richard Harding at the Men’s Health League at (617) 665-3769 or send e-mail by clicking here.

This post was written from a press release.