June 27 is National HIV Testing Day, intended to encourage people to get tested, know their HIV status and get linked to care.
What is HIV
HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, attacks cells that help the body fight infection, making a person more vulnerable to other infections and diseases. It’s spread by contact with certain bodily fluids of someone with HIV, most commonly during unprotected sex or through sharing needles when taking injection drugs.
Approximately 1.2 million people in the U.S. have HIV, and about 13% of those people don’t know they have it and need testing.
Anyone can get HIV, but it is seen more commonly in men who have sex with men, and for those who have multiple sexual partners. Systemic issues also play a role—Black and Latino Americans are disproportionately affected by HIV, as are transgender women and those who live in poverty.
“But it’s also important to know that just because you belong to a certain group doesn’t mean that you are destined to become HIV-positive,” said Ervin Simmons, HIV community specialist with the Utah Department of Health and Human Services.
Importance of testing and treatment
The stigma, misconceptions and fear that can come with an HIV diagnosis are part of why National HIV Testing Day was first observed in 1995. The goal is to encourage folks to get tested and get connected to care if necessary.
The theme for 2023 is “Take the Test and Take the Next Step,” which emphasizes that getting tested and knowing your HIV status gives you more options on ways to stay healthy. While HIV isn’t curable, it can be managed with care to allow a long and healthy life.
Getting tested early is especially important because if left untreated, HIV can progress to AIDS, which means the immune system has been badly damaged and is both more prone to illnesses and less equipped to fight them.
“Fortunately, with the advancement of medicine, that doesn’t have to be the case in 2023,” Simmons said. He explained that managing HIV has become much easier since the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, when care routines were intricate, hard to manage, and could have severe side effects.
"Now, it’s a lot simpler, taking sometimes just one pill a day,” Simmons said.
There are also prevention tools like Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), which reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99%. Simmons also encouraged more understanding of the social barriers that drive HIV and ways to overcome them.
With proper treatment, those with HIV will not only live long and healthy lives, but they can also eventually reach an undetectable viral load, which means the virus won’t show up in their blood and they can’t transmit HIV via sex.
“By engaging in care and being on top of your care, not only are you protecting your own health, but you’re also safeguarding the health of others,” Simmons said.
How to get tested
Most people should get tested annually, but those at high risk, such as transgender women or gay and bisexual cisgender men, should test up to every three months depending on risk level.
You can get HIV tests from a primary care provider, self-test at home, or community organizations like UAF Legacy Health. The Utah Department of Health and Human Services also recently started a program where, if eligible, you can get a free or reduced at-home test for HIV, chlamydia and gonorrhea. You can take the eligibility survey here.
Fighting stigma
One of the biggest barriers to getting tested is stigma. Because of higher HIV rates within the queer community, homophobia and transphobia can cause people to avoid getting tested, or to believe they as a non-queer person can’t get HIV.
“That stigma ultimately drives people to engage in behaviors that might put them at higher risk for becoming HIV-positive,” Simmons said. Those behaviors include not getting tested, not wanting to know test results and not learning how to stay safe.
“It’s just really important to be on top of knowing what your health status is and not letting fear drive your decisions,” Simmons said, “and instead using knowledge and science to drive what you do.”
