National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 2017
For Immediate Release
January 25, 2017
Get Tested Today to Help Stop the Spread of HIV
Public Health – Dayton & Montgomery County is observing National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on February 7, 2017. This is a chance for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV, and think of those who have died.
The theme, “I Am My Brother's and Sister's Keeper: Fight HIV/AIDS”, stresses the role we all can play in HIV prevention.
Blacks are affected by HIV/AIDS more than other racial groups in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Blacks represent about 12% of the US population, but they account for more new HIV diagnoses (44%) and people living with HIV (41%) than any other racial group.
The CDC reports that gay and bisexual black men make up the majority of new infections. Among those, young black gay and bisexual men are mostly affected.
Protect yourself and your partner by:
- Using condoms the right way every time you have sex.
- Choosing less risky sexual behaviors.
- Limiting your number of sexual partners.
- Never sharing needles.
- Talking to your doctor about pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) if you are at very high risk for HIV.
- Talking to your doctor about post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) if you think you may have been exposed to HIV within the last 3 days through sex, sharing needles and works, or a sexual assault.
- Getting treated if you are HIV-positive.
- Get tested and encourage others to do the same.
Public Health is a member of the HIV/AIDS Prevention Committee of Region 7 which is hard at work in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The Committee offers case management, linkage to care, HIV testing, education, counseling, and referral services.
Get Tested at the Following Locations
For more testing sites near you, call 800-CDC-INFO (232-4636), visit http://hivtest.cdc.gov, or, on your cell phone, text your ZIP code to KNOW IT (566948)
