CDC Expands Successful HIV Testing Initiative

by Kevin Fenton, M.D., Ph.D. on April 01, 2010 (Cross-posted from the White House Office of National AIDS Policy Blog)

Kevin Fenton, M.D., Ph.D.

Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that we will be expanding our successful HIV testing initiative by $31.5 million, for another three years. The new total program funding will be approximately $142.5 million over the next three years. This will reach more people with life-saving information on whether or not they are infected with the virus. Since the testing initiative began in 2007, more than 1.4 million Americans have been tested for HIV through this program and more than 10,000 people with HIV have been newly diagnosed. The vast majority of these people were linked to care.

We know that getting people tested and diagnosed is an important step in reducing new HIV infections. Testing is the first step in linking HIV-infected people to medical care, ongoing support, and prevention efforts to help them establish and maintain safer behaviors. In fact, studies show that once people learn they are infected with HIV, most take steps to protect their partners.

National HIV Testing Day - A message from President Obama

by Miguel Gomez

Throughout the month of June, we've been asking people to share their HIV testing stories.

Today, in recognition of National HIV Testing Day, President Obama released a special video message about the importance of HIV testing and his own experiences getting an HIV test in Kenya.

The White House has used Twitter , YouTube and other new media tools to get the word out about this video and to spread the word about the importance of knowing your HIV status. We encourage you to watch the video and share it with your friends, co-workers and family.

To find a local HIV testing site, send a text message with your ZIP code to KNOWIT (566948) or visit www.HIVtest.org.

Using New Media to Reach Women and Girls for National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Today, March 10, is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NWGHAAD). Women account for more than one quarter of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in the U.S., and most are infected with HIV through heterosexual contact. Women of color are disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS.

To learn more about the day, the role of new media in responding to HIV among women and girls, and how YOU can take action today, we spoke to Vera Yakovchenko from the Office on Women's Health (OWH), the lead Federal agency for NWGHAAD.

“This day is a tool to promote discussion and information sharing, as well as the opportunity to provide the facts for women and girls on how to prevent infection and live with HIV and AIDS,” Vera told us. This year's theme is HIV is Right Here at Home: Get Tested. Know Your Status.

Promoting Routine HIV Testing For National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

During the week leading up to National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day , we reinforce the Federal recommendations for routine HIV testing in healthcare settings. Here’s what the CDC’s Revised Recommendations for HIV Testing of Adults, Adolescents, and Pregnant Women in Health-Care Settings say: