New Jersey Department of Health: Knowing Your HIV Status Can Be Lifesaving
June 26, 2024, 1:01 pm | in
New Jersey Department of Health: Knowing Your HIV Status Can Be Lifesaving
National HIV Testing Day Observed June 27 with Testing, Other Events Across the State
TRENTON – June 27 is National HIV Testing Day, and the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) is urging all New Jerseyans to learn their status and get tested for HIV as part of their regular self-care routine. The 2024 theme is “Level up your self-love: check your status."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that individuals between the ages of 13 through 64 years be tested at least once, and those at higher risk should be tested at least once a year. Routine screening enables the identification of HIV before it becomes advanced HIV or AIDS, fosters earlier treatment when needed, reduces the risk of transmission, and reduces stigma around HIV and HIV treatment.
In New Jersey, 43,838 free and confidential rapid HIV tests were administered at more than 100 locations in 2023, compared to 35,424 in 2022. Those who are HIV-negative and at high risk are connected to a Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) counselor as necessary, and those who are HIV-positive are connected to treatment. PrEP is a single pill that can reduce the risk of acquiring HIV from sex by 90 percent when taken daily and, along with testing, is an important HIV prevention strategy.
“HIV is a treatable chronic disease, and, as long as people know their status and get connected to treatment when needed, those diagnosed with HIV can live long, healthy lives,” said Health Commissioner Kaitlan Baston, MD. “A critical part of eliminating the HIV epidemic is helping all those who are positive access treatment. Routine treatment regimens allow people living with HIV to have their virus reduced to undetectable, and undetectable equals untransmittable for HIV.”
For National HIV Testing Day this year, over 20 different testing events will be taking place across the state hosted by NJDOH-funded agencies (see below for a list of events). These events all offer free rapid HIV testing to any individual in attendance and aim to connect with local communities. In addition, for National HIV Testing Day, June 27, Walgreens and Greater Than HIV, a public information initiative of KFF, along with hundreds of health departments and community organizations, are providing free HIV testing, counseling, and information. To find free HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis C testing nearest to you, visit: greaterthan.org/free-testing-nhtd-2024.
NJDOH continues to work with partners to promote HIV testing and connect individuals to treatment and medications to prevent transmission of the virus. This ongoing work with providers, advocates, and stakeholders aims to end the HIV epidemic in New Jersey by 2025.
These efforts have three main goals:
· Reduce the number of new HIV infections by 75 percent;
· Promote access to testing so that 100 percent of persons living with HIV/AIDS know their status; and
· Promote access and linkage to care so that 90 percent of persons diagnosed with HIV/AIDS are virally suppressed.
Strategies for preventing or reducing the risk of HIV infection include seeking PrEP if you are HIV negative but at high risk for HIV, calling the NJ AIDS/STD hotline at 800-624-2377 to find a counselor near you, visiting your health care provider for HIV testing, and locating one of New Jersey’s HIV testing sites near you. NJDOH funds 38 programs that can house up to four PrEP navigators depending on the needs of the community. In 2023, 1,520 new clients were enrolled in New Jersey’s PrEP program.
In 2023, 37,776 New Jersey residents were reported to be living with HIV. Nationally, according to the CDC:
· An estimated 1.2 million people in the United States were living with diagnosed and undiagnosed HIV at the end of 2022.
· The estimated number of new HIV infections in 2022 (31,800) decreased 12% compared with 2018 (36,200), led by a 30% decrease among young people aged 13-24 years. In New Jersey, the new HIV diagnosis in 2022 was 1,098, a 4.6% increase from 2018 (1,050), led by an 11% combined increase in the age 25-34 and 35-44 year groups.
Upcoming events offering free HIV testing and more include:
ATLANTIC COUNTY:
Agency: AtlantiCare HealthPlex
Date: June 27, 2024, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Location: Atlantic Care HealthPlex, main lobby, 1401 Atlantic Avenue, Atlantic City, NJ 08401
Activities: HIV testing (educational awareness materials); provide preventive items (condoms, lube, female condoms); light refreshments
