Florida Department of Health issued the following announcement on Feb. 7.
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD), an annual observance effort to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS prevention, care, and treatment in communities of color nationwide. The first National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day was marked in 1999, and this is the twenty-third year NBHAAD has been recognized.
“There are many issues that impact individual and community health—it doesn’t exist in a vacuum. As we keep working to end new HIV transmission in Florida, we must continue to address many critical factors that create barriers in our communities,” said State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo. “This includes improving access to PrEP—pre-exposure prophylaxis, a proven prevention tool—in all of our vulnerable communities, especially our Black and other minority communities in Florida.”
Ending HIV transmission in our state requires addressing risk factors and encouraging important conversations about HIV. Forty percent of the 3,504 Floridians who received an HIV diagnosis in 2020 were Black. It is crucial that people with HIV begin treatment as soon as possible upon diagnosis.
Regular HIV care includes antiretroviral therapy (ART), which decreases HIV in the body. This decrease, called viral suppression, leads to better health outcomes. Immediate and maintained treatment with ART typically leads to long, healthy lives for people with HIV. It is also an effective method of HIV prevention. People living with HIV who take antiretroviral medication as prescribed and achieve and maintain an undetectable viral load cannot transmit HIV to their sexual partners.
The Department is also partnering with organizations throughout the state to observe NBHAAD. Check out our online events calendar to learn about what is going on in your area and how you can commemorate this national health observance day.
Knowing your HIV status protects you and your community. Visit KnowYourHIVStatus.com to learn more. You can also call the Florida HIV/AIDS Hotline at 1-800-FLA-AIDS, 1-800-545-SIDA (en Español), or 1-800-AIDS-101 (in Creole) for more information.
Original source can be found here.
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