Heres Why Your Wellness Routine Isnt Complete Without HIV Testing

The era of prioritizing self-care is here, and the importance of personal wellness has become more apparent than ever. While self-care looks different for everyone —from getting your steps in, to journaling, to practicing yoga—making choices that support your physical and mental well-being is key to helping you live a healthier life . Prioritizing your sexual health, including getting tested for HIV at least once as part of routine healthcare, is an important and normal part of self-care .

Though it can seem like concerns around HIV ended with the turn of the century, it remains a persistent public health priority in the United States . According to the CDC, at the end of 2021, an estimated 1.2 million people in the United States aged 13 and older were living with HIV, and 13% of those people did not know they had HIV.

While progress has been made in preventing and treating HIV over the last few decades, systemic racism, homophobia, transphobia, HIV-related stigma, and other societal barriers have contributed to health disparities among underserved communities, including Black , Hispanic/Latino/a/x , and LGBTQ+ individuals, further emphasizing the need for all to prioritize HIV testing .

National HIV Testing Day is June 27, and it presents an opportunity to spotlight the importance of HIV testing as a critical step to help end the HIV epidemic in the United States. The CDC recommends people between the ages of 13 and 64 get tested for HIV at least once as part of routine healthcare, and some people may benefit from getting tested more often.

Being sure of your HIV status through HIV testing is an important part of your self-care because knowing your status gives you powerful information to help you stay healthy. No matter the results of your HIV test , you can talk to a doctor to discuss the best HIV care or appropriate prevention options for you, such as condoms with lube, safer sex practices, and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medications.

“Encouraging HIV testing is crucial to our collective efforts to help end the HIV epidemic in our communities and ladders up to the overarching goal of changing how sexual health, and self-care, are viewed, especially for the most underserved communities. We’ve seen firsthand the disproportionate impact of HIV on Black, Hispanic/Latino/a/x, and LGBTQ+ communities in our own backyard, and we recognize how raising awareness of testing is a foundational piece towards dismantling stigma and promoting access to prevention or treatment services.”

 

—June Gipson, PhD, EdS, President and CEO of My Brother’s Keeper, a Gilead grant recipient, in Ridgeland, Mississippi

 

While it’s natural to feel nervous about getting tested for HIV, there is power in knowing your status. To help deter negative emotions and stigma associated with HIV testing, Gilead created Press Play , an online resource that encourages HIV testing as a part of your self-care routine. Press Play provides information about what you can expect during an HIV test, next steps to take after a test, and other tools—including options for finding an HIV testing site or ordering a free at-home test—to help make test taking easier.

This National HIV Testing Day, take charge of your sexual health by incorporating HIV testing into your self-care routine. To learn more and find testing resources near you, including free at-home testing kits, visit www.hivtestnow.com .

PRESS PLAY, GILEAD and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc. All other marks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners.

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