National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NNHAAD) highlights efforts to address HIV and raise awareness of its impact in American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities. First observed in 2007, NNHAAD encourages HIV education, testing, prevention, and treatment among AI/AN communities. The National Native HIV Network organizes NNHAAD, held annually on March 20, and coordinates related activities. 

Issues such as HIV-related stigma, lack of awareness, and limited access to HIV services contribute to a disproportionate impact of HIV in AI/AN communities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

• AI/AN people accounted for 1% of HIV diagnoses made in 2022. 
• During 2023, overall, 70.7% of persons with HIV were virally suppressed within six months of diagnosis. AI/AN had among the lowest percentages of viral suppression within six months of diagnosis in 2023, at 63.9%.  

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) HIV research program, coordinated by the NIH Office of AIDS Research (OAR), supports research to reduce HIV-related disparities. This includes efforts to better understand and address HIV-related stigma and discrimination, which can discourage people from accessing HIV services. In this regard, NIH HIV research seeks to understand the most effective ways to encourage AI/AN populations to access HIV testing, prevention, and treatment services. Efforts to address HIV among AI/AN populations must recognize diversity and sovereignty among Tribal communities and ensure interventions are driven by Tribal directives and advocacy, informed by previous harms, and respectful to the unique needs and laws of different Tribes.