HIV Testing Day
Today marks the 24th National HIV Testing Day – a day to encourage people to get tested for HIV, know their status, and get linked to care and treatment. This year’s theme, Test Your Way. Do It Today., is a reminder that there are more ways than ever to get an HIV test – in a clinic, from your health care provider, at a testing event, at home, from a local organization, and more!
We are over three decades into this epidemic and have made many strides. HIV treatment works and undetectable equals untransmitable (U=U). But one of the first steps to living well – with or without HIV – is to know your status and, according to the CDC, about one in seven people living with HIV don’t know they have it. Besides lack of access and knowledge on how to get tested, stigma remains one of the largest barriers that prevents people from getting tested.
To help get the word out about the importance of testing and to fight HIV stigma, our President & CEO, Jesse Milan, Jr., collaborated with Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), a founding member of the Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus to raise awareness. Together, they wrote a powerful op-ed on the disparate impact of the HIV epidemic on the LGBTQ communities of color. “LGBTQ equality has gained momentum, but it remains unevenly distributed and incomplete. … Full equality can never be attained without health equity,” they write. Continue reading here.
Additionally, AIDS United engaged almost 200 social media influencers, community members, and organizations in a Thunderclap, in which we shared critical HIV testing messages with almost one million people!
National HIV Testing Day is an important reminder and call to action for our community. We must keep the moment up throughout the year. Ask yourself, what can you do in the coming days, weeks, and months to engage your friends, family, and neighbors in the conversation about HIV? As always, you can access free HIV testing resources and more on the CDC’s website.
HIV TEST KIT
We are over three decades into this epidemic and have made many strides. HIV treatment works and undetectable equals untransmitable (U=U). But one of the first steps to living well – with or without HIV – is to know your status and, according to the CDC, about one in seven people living with HIV don’t know they have it. Besides lack of access and knowledge on how to get tested, stigma remains one of the largest barriers that prevents people from getting tested.
To help get the word out about the importance of testing and to fight HIV stigma, our President & CEO, Jesse Milan, Jr., collaborated with Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), a founding member of the Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus to raise awareness. Together, they wrote a powerful op-ed on the disparate impact of the HIV epidemic on the LGBTQ communities of color. “LGBTQ equality has gained momentum, but it remains unevenly distributed and incomplete. … Full equality can never be attained without health equity,” they write. Continue reading here.
Additionally, AIDS United engaged almost 200 social media influencers, community members, and organizations in a Thunderclap, in which we shared critical HIV testing messages with almost one million people!
National HIV Testing Day is an important reminder and call to action for our community. We must keep the moment up throughout the year. Ask yourself, what can you do in the coming days, weeks, and months to engage your friends, family, and neighbors in the conversation about HIV? As always, you can access free HIV testing resources and more on the CDC’s website.
HIV TEST KIT
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