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Hello,
Today is the 18th annual National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day! The 2017 theme is “I Am My Brother’s and Sister’s Keeper. Fight HIV/AIDS!” The Strategic Leadership Council NBHAAD Planning Committee provides NBHAAD information at its website. Every year individuals and organizations across the nation participate in National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day to promote HIV education, testing, community involvement, and treatment in black communities. Here are three facts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that will persuade you to join the effort today:
- Compared with other races and ethnicities, African Americans account for a higher proportion of new HIV diagnoses, those living with HIV, and those ever diagnosed with AIDS.
- At the end of 2012, only 37% of African Americans living with HIV were prescribed antiretroviral therapy (ART).
- In 2013, 3,742 African Americans died of HIV or AIDS, accounting for 54% of total deaths attributed to the disease that year.
My wife, actress and activist Sheryl Lee Ralph, and I have been long-time advocates for people getting tested for HIV/AIDS and knowing their status. Please check out the information below and visit the links to find out how you can get tested and know your status.
Thanks,
State Senator Vincent Hughes
Helpful Resources for Information, Testing and Treatment
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| What you don't know can kill you. Knowledge is a powerful weapon against HIV/AIDS. |
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| When was the last time you took an HIV Test? The vast majority of people infected with the AIDS virus do not even know it. You can’t protect yourself or your partner if you do not know your current status. Test Alone. Test Together. Test with Friends. |
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| Get in care, stay in care and live well!. Research has shown that putting an HIV-positive person on treatment reduces their chances of transmitting the virus by as much as 90 percent. AIDS is not the death sentence it once was. Early treatment can prolong your life. |
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| HIV/AIDS is spreading through our communities because not enough of us are involved in efforts to stop it. Get involved in the fight. Start talking! We can stop the spread of HIV/AIDS one conversation at a time while erasing the stigma that still plagues our community. Be the generation that makes a difference! |
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Sources: Black AIDS Institute and Healthy Black Communities, Inc.
Join the Conversation on Social Media:
- Follow @AIDSGov On Twitter and Facebook
- Find and join some of the scheduled Twitter chat on February 7 using #NBHAAD
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Learn more about the issues and provide your feedback on my website at senatorhughes.com as well as on Facebook and Twitter (@SenatorHughes).
Offices of State
Senator Vincent Hughes
www.senatorhughes.com |
