National HIV Testing Day (NHTD) Campaign

This effort to promote early diagnosis of, and testing for, HIV draws on in-person events, the media, and the internet to raise awareness and encourage action. Visitors to the NHTD website may access media tips, web tips, and banner ads (to be posted on various websites to call attention to NHTD). Several posters in English and in Spanish may be downloaded (or ordered in printed format). The posters feature real people living with HIV, such as a transgender couple, a young African-American woman, a young Caucasian man, and a mature Hispanic man. NAPWA hopes that these NHTD posters will - by sharing images and words of those actually living with the disease - reduce AIDS social stigma, encourage HIV testing, and enhance the use of social networks.

Through public and private partnerships, NAPWA supports HIV testing at local events on NHTD throughout the country. Details about upcoming events such as one being held in the state of Wisconsin (where free rapid HIV testing is provided, along with a health fair, refreshments, and condoms) are offered on the project website. To cite an example of a past event, during NHTD 2007 the non-profit organisation AID Atlanta worked with the Morehouse School of Medicine, National AIDS Education & Services for Minorities (NAESM), and the AIDS Survival Project to reach out to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). There, they provided a forum where students, faculty, and staff at Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse College could access services for HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) tests. A total of 358 HIV tests and 86 syphilis tests were conducted at Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse College.

Partnership is a theme also running through NAPWA's work with elected officials – including Mayors and Governors – in the US to publicly acknowledge the importance of NHTD and HIV testing through written proclamations and local events. In addition, these officials are requested to publicly support NHTD by getting tested, advocating for testing, and hosting press conferences to discuss HIV testing and other public health resources for HIV care. For instance, in 2007, Governors of North Carolina (Mike Easley) and New York (Elliott Spitzer) issued proclamations for NHTD. Also, a message on HIV testing from Mrs. Laura Bush, First Lady of the United States, may be viewed, listened to, and/or read by clicking here.

The mass media play a key role each year in drawing attention to NHTD. Calls to "Take the Test, Take Control" are featured on television and the radio in many cities. NAPWA's media partners also join in HIV/AIDS education for viewers, listeners, and readers across the country while encouraging them to take action and get tested. (Americans may send a text message with their zip code to KNOWIT (566948) to find a nearby HIV testing centre.)

HIV/AIDS.

The CDC estimates that more than 1,000,000 people in the US are now living with HIV, and approximately 25% are unaware of their HIV infection. "The decision to take the test is the first step in taking responsibility for your health and the health of others with whom you may be intimately involved."