Associated Press - June 27, 2009 7:25 PM ET

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Treatment for HIV/AIDS has evolved since the 1980s, and apparently so has attention paid to it.

Health officials say that's likely because the disease is more manageable today.

But Nebraska's chief medical officer says while a diagnosis isn't as scary as it once was, it's a "heck of a way to life if you don't have to."

A weeklong campaign that wraps July 4 is aimed at motivating more people to get tested and to learn about prevention.

A representative with the Nebraska AIDS Project says among the challenges in getting that message out is overcoming the misconception that HIV/AIDS isn't in rural areas. But Nakiea (nuh-KEE-uh) Boetger says if that were the case, the group wouldn't need offices in rural areas.

The Nebraska AIDS Project has offices in Omaha, Lincoln, Kearney, Norfolk and Scottsbluff. They are among several clinics across the state that routinely offer free HIV/AIDS testing.

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