Celebrate National HIV Testing Day

June 26, 2009 - Update

Yesterday, the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) published two new reports on HIV testing in the U.S: one on late HIV testing and the other on HIV testing among high school students.  The first publication indicates that far too many people are diagnosed with HIV late in the course of the infection, when neither treatment nor prevention can offer optimal benefit.  The second publication shows that, while some U.S. high school students have been tested for HIV, increased HIV testing among this population is needed - overall, 12.9 percent of students have been tested for the disease.

The CDC will be conducting a telebriefing on these reports today from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm EDT.  Drs. Rich Wolitski, Luke Shouse, and Drew Voetsch from the CDC's Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention will make brief presentations and answer questions regarding the data included in the reports as well as CDC's efforts aimed at increasing HIV testing and knowledge of serostatus.  

To enter the call, dial: (800) 230-1951.  When prompted, provide the title of the call: HIV Testing among Youth and Late Testing MMWRs.  Participants are encouraged to enter the call queue 10 minutes prior to the beginning of the call.  Those who are unable to participate in the telebriefing can listen to a playback of the session at: (800) 475-6701, access code: 105443.  The replay will be available today at 3:00 pm until July 10, 2009 at 11:59 pm.   

June 19, 2009 - Did you know that?

• Every 9½ minutes (on average), someone in the United States is infected with HIV;
• In 2006, an estimated 56,300 people became infected with HIV;
• More than 1 million people in the United States are living with HIV, and 1 out of 5 do not know they are infected; 
• Despite new therapies, people with HIV still develop AIDS; and 
• More than 14,000 people with AIDS still die each year in the United States.

Did you also know that 34 percent or approximately 19,000 of the 53,000 that became infected in 2006 were adolescents or young adults aged 13 to 29 years?  In addition, recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that certain groups of young people are affected disproportionately – more than half of all cases of HIV infection or AIDS among young people during 2003-2006 were male-to-male sexual contact and 70 percent of all HIV/AIDS diagnoses among youth during that same period were among black youth, even though blacks represented only 17 percent of the population in that age group. 

According to the CDC, the reasons for continued high HIV/AIDS rates among young men who have sex with men (YMSM) are multiple and complex.  Possible factors include, but are not limited to: 1) The alarming percentage of YMSM who do not know they are infected; 2) Failure to reach MSM with effective HIV interventions or prevention education; and 3) Use of alcohol and illegal drugs.  The CDC states that the racial/ethnic disparities in HIV/AIDS among YMSM are also not well understood, but could possibly be related to the high prevalence of HIV in black male social networks and the reduced likelihood of black men receiving antiretroviral treatment. 

So what can schools do help curb such disparities? A new CDC fact sheet offers a few suggestions including: collect and analyze data on same-sex sexual behavior; establish safe and supportive environments; provide professional development for school staff; and implement effective policies, practices, and interventions that reduce sexual risk behaviors. 

Another Strategy: Celebrate National HIV Testing Day

June 27 is National HIV Testing Day (NHTD) – an annual campaign started in 1995 by the National Association of People with AIDS to encourage people to “Take the Test, Take Control.”  Currently, almost 40 percent of people with HIV are not diagnosed until after they developed AIDS and that can be up to 10 years after they first become infected.  Finding out HIV status is the first step to improving the health of those infected and reducing transmission. 

To help celebrate, the CDC’s National HIV and STD Testing Resources Website has a webpage dedicated to the Day that includes events happing nationwide, posters, tools and a list of partners. 

Moreover, users visiting the Day’s webpage will be able to link to the 9½ Minutes website, which is part of the recently launched Act Against AIDS campaign, that aims to give people the information they need to protect themselves from HIV infection, live healthier lives if they are infected with HIV, as well as to get more information about HIV testing.  On the Day’s webpage there are also innovative online and digital channels to encourage HIV testing, such as new Web buttons and videos.  In addition, radio interviews, press statements, and public service announcements through various media channels are planned that will reach across the nation and into communities most at risk.

Source: “HIV/AIDS and Young Men Who Have Sex with Men,” CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health, May 2009; and National HIV and STD Testing Resources Website, National HIV Testing Day webpage.