Make HIV Testing a Routine Part of Your Healthcare to Help End an Epidemic

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a virus that weakens a person’s immune system by destroying important cells that fight disease and infection. If HIV is not treated, it can lead to AIDS.

 

According to CDC, about 1 in 8 people are living with HIV in the U.S. but do not know they have it. On this World Aids Day, GNR Public Health urges everyone to make HIV testing a routine part of their healthcare.

 

The only way to learn if you have HIV is to get tested, and knowing your HIV status empowers you to make decisions to prevent getting or transmitting HIV. If your test is negative, but you are at a higher risk for acquiring HIV, you can start PrEP, a once-daily medication that can prevent you from acquiring HIV. The health department will link you to treatment if your test is positive. With proper medical care, HIV can be controlled. People with HIV who get effective HIV treatment can live long, healthy lives and protect their partners.

 

Do your part to help end the HIV epidemic. Request a free in-person or at-home HIV test, or schedule an appointment for an in-person test at one of our health centers. We can end the HIV epidemic using proven tools to help you know your status, get into treatment, and prevent HIV from the start.

 

HIV education, testing, prevention, and referrals to treatment are just a few ways GNR Public Health helps keep Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale Healthy. Protected. Prepared.

 

World Aids Day provides an opportunity to unite in the fight against HIV, to show support for people living with HIV, and to commemorate those who have died from an AIDS-related illness. The World Health Organization first celebrated World Aids Day on December 1, 1988.

 

-Since the beginning of the epidemic, 85.6 million (65.0-113.0 million) people have been infected with HIV globally

-About 40.4 million (32.9-51.3 million) people have died of HIV globally

-Globally, an estimated 39 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2022

-630,000 died in 2022 of HIV-related causes

 

Source: https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/topics/indicator-groups/indicator-group-details/GHO/number-of-people-(all-ages)-living-with-hiv