National HIV Testing Day — June 27th
Advances in HIV diagnosis, treatment and prevention have the potential to change the course of HIV for individuals and communities. Knowing one’s HIV status is the first step in this transformation for individuals who are living with HIV and those that are at risk. There are powerful treatment and prevention strategies available which can preserve the health of people living with HIV, and significantly reduce the risk of transmission.
For those who are living with undiagnosed HIV, testing is the first step in initiating anti-retroviral therapy (ART), which can help individuals to maintain a healthy life and prevent HIV transmission to negative partners. HIV testing is also the first step in initiating pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a daily pill for people with negative results. PrEP can reduce the risk of HIV transmission by 90%.
Although progress has been made in expanding access to HIV testing, testing rates remain low. There are approximately 1.1 million people in the United States who have HIV, yet 1 in 7 of them don’t know it.
The PCDC HIP in Health Care team is available to provide training and technical assistance to health care organizations seeking to enhance their HIV prevention services. For more information about integrating HIV Testing, PrEP or PEP, see the PCDC HIV Capacity Building for Providers Website, or contact hip@pcdc.org.
Knowing your HIV status provides powerful information to help keep individuals healthy. Join us to raise awareness about the importance of HIV testing and early diagnosis. Please click on the resources below to promote National HIV Testing Day!
HIV National Testing Day – Centers for Disease Control & Prevention