LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, will commemorate National HIV Testing Day—formally observed on Monday, June 27th—through a series of a dozen or more events promoting HIV prevention, testing and treatment that AHF will host across the United States over the next several days.
“We know that HIV testing and treatment are the best ways to prevent the spread of the virus that burdens communities and, if left unsuppressed, threatens thousands of lives annually. With recent reports showing that people in some regions are actually being diagnosed with AIDS because they weren’t tested and the virus detected at an early stage, this year’s National HIV Testing Day is a call to action that is more important than ever,” said Alexander Goncalves, Director of Public Health for Testing Services for AHF. “In addition to our regular everyday testing services and hours at our centers nationwide, we’re also pulling out all the stops at these NHTD special events across the country to stress the importance of everyone knowing their HIV status and getting connected to medical treatment, if needed.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 1.2 million people in the United States are currently living with HIV, with almost 50,000 people becoming infected with the virus annually. With one in seven people being unaware of their HIV status, the CDC has found that more than 90 percent of new HIV infections in the United States could be prevented by testing and diagnosing people who have HIV and connecting them to medical care to suppress the virus.
To promote its 2016 National HIV Testing Day events, AHF’s graphics feature an Olympics theme including an update of the iconic Wheaties cereal box cover art, which over the years has featured a number of prominent medal-winning athletes and celebrities. Two versions of AHF’s “Your Health, Your Victory!” artwork encourage people to get tested and learn their HIV status. Supporters of National HIV Testing Day are encouraged to include #TestWithAHF and the official #NHTD hashtag on their social media posts honoring the commemoration.
For a list of AHF’s National HIV Testing Day events, please click here.
For AHF’s regular HIV testing hours, locations and services, visit www.freeHIVTest.net.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 639,000 individuals in 36 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter: @aidshealthcare and Instagram: @aidshealthcare
