Eds: APNewsNow.

HELENA, Mont. (AP) A state health agency reports an increase in new HIV cases and is encouraging people to be tested.

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.

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

On the Net: The HIV data map: www.MapHIV.org HIV testing sites in Montana: www.dphhs.mt.gov/PHSD/STD-HIV/HIV(underscore)Testing.shtml (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 06-25-09 1433CDT | save this article / add to your favorites list