National HIV Testing Day: Know Your Status, Save Your Life

In the U.S., 1.2 million people are living with HIV and approximately 13 percent of those people are unaware of their status.

June 27 is National HIV Testing Day, which was first launched in 1995 to promote routine HIV testing as a gateway to lifesaving prevention and treatment.

Knowing your status isn’t just personal, but an individual responsibility to public health. A negative result opens doors to prevention strategies like PrEP and the newly FDA-approved lenacapavir injection.The injection is 99.9 percent effective and only requires two shots per year. For those testing positive for HIV, early antiretroviral therapy can suppress the virus to undetectable levels with no risk of passing HIV to others.

In Maryland, the Department of Health urges residents to take advantage of free testing through clinics and pharmacies like Walgreens. Baltimore regularly participates in National HIV Testing Day events, including community pop-ups with the city’s health department.

Testing today is easier than ever. Alongside clinic options, home self-testing kits offer privacy, quick results and immediate connection to care. Innovative technologies like PCR-based viral load tools allow rapid confirmation and treatment adjustments. Meanwhile, breakthroughs continue and science is edging closer to a cure for the disease.

National HIV Testing Day is about more than just awareness. It’s a health checkpoint. No matter your background or risk, it’s important to get tested, know your status and take any steps necessary towards prevention or treatment.

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