I Am Empowered - I am the National Urban League

National HIV Testing Day

June 27 is National HIV Testing Day – a day to promote HIV-testing and early diagnosis of HIV across the United States.
 
Thursday, June 27th is National HIV Testing Day. On this day, we as a proud partner of CDC’s Act Against AIDS Leadership Initiative (AAALI), are encouraging people of all ages to "Take the Test, Take Control," which sends a powerful message about learning one’s HIV status.
 
Too many people don't know they have HIV. In the United States, nearly 1.1 million people are living with HIV, and almost one in five don't know they are infected. Getting tested is the first step to finding out if you have HIV. If you have HIV, getting medical care and taking medicines regularly helps you live a longer, healthier life and also lowers the chances of passing HIV on to others.
 
Finding out your HIV status has never been simpler:

Rapid HIV tests can be conducted almost anywhere and provide results in less than 20 minutes. They can draw oral fluid or blood from a finger prick.
 
Whether you test negative or positive – knowing your status is empowering:

• If you are negative, knowing gives you peace of mind and incentive to stay HIV-free
• If positive – while a difficult diagnosis – you can get access to effective treatment and care to help you live a long and fulfilling life

 
This National HIV Testing Day, don’t let fear or misinformation stop you from learning your status. We’re asking everyone to:

• Get the facts about HIV: Know if you are at risk, how it is spread, and take action to protect yourself against it.
• Get tested for HIV: Testing is the first step in protecting yourself and others from infection. CDC recommends that all adults and adolescents be tested for HIV at least once.
• Ask your doctor for an HIV test. Or to find a place to get tested in your community, visit www.hivtest.cdc.gov, call 800-CDC-INFO or text your ZIP code to 566948
• Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) and people with multiple sex partners or who inject drugs should get an HIV test at least once a year
• Talk about HIV: Use CDC’s Act Against AIDS materials to promote HIV testing in target populations. These materials are available at www.actagainstaids.org. Also, talk about it. Tweet about it. Use #NHTD and #talkHIV to participate in related discussions on Twitter.