National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day
National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day (NYHAAD) highlights the impact of HIV in young people and raises awareness about ongoing efforts in HIV prevention, testing, and treatment for this population. First observed in 2013, NYHAAD is organized by Advocates for Youth, an organization that works with communities to ensure youth have tools to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Today’s youth have never known a world without HIV. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
- In 2021, 19 percent of new HIV diagnoses were among young people aged 13-24.
- Only 6 percent of high school students have ever been tested for HIV. For every 100 people with HIV aged 13-24, 56 people know their HIV status, the lowest of any age group in the United States. Getting an HIV test is critical so people know their HIV status and can access treatment, if needed.
- Among people aged 13-24 who have been diagnosed with HIV and know their HIV status, 80 percent received some HIV care, more than in any other age group. In addition, 55 percent of people with diagnosed HIV in this age group were retained in care, and 65 percent were virally suppressed. People with HIV who are virally suppressed have undetectable viral loads and will not transmit HIV to sexual partners, a concept known as Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U).
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) HIV research program, coordinated by the NIH Office of AIDS Research (OAR), supports research on HIV testing, prevention, and treatment for different populations, including youth. This includes research to understand effective strategies to encourage youth to access HIV services.
Social Media
Use the hashtag #NYHAAD to follow the conversation about this observance on social media. Download graphics and find sample social media posts to promote HIV prevention, testing, and treatment among youth on the HIV.gov NYHAAD webpage and NYHAAD on the CDC Awareness Days webpage. A social media toolkit also is available on the Advocates for Youth NYHAAD webpage.
Additional Resources
NIH Office of AIDS Research
- FY 2021-2025 NIH Strategic Plan for HIV and HIV-Related Research (NIH HIV Strategic Plan): The NIH HIV Strategic Plan provides a roadmap for NIH to guide HIV and HIV-related research and direct HIV research funding to the highest-priority areas to help end HIV.
- HIVinfo.NIH.gov is an online resource, maintained by OAR, that offers up-to-date HIV information to the general consumer, people with HIV, and those who care for them. HIVinfo provides HIV-related infographics and many other resources. The HIVinfo HIV Source Adolescents Collection provides resources on HIV in young people.
Advocates for Youth
Advocates for Youth leads the annual NYHAAD observance and works with young people in the United States and worldwide to promote effective adolescent reproductive and sexual health programs. The NYHAAD webpage includes a social media toolkit, a list of NYHAAD-related activities scheduled for April 5-11, and HIV-related information for youth.
HIV.gov
HIV.gov provides information on the U.S. government’s HIV response. HIV.gov aims to expand visibility of relevant federal HIV policies, programs, and resources and to increase knowledge about HIV and access to HIV services. The NYHAAD webpage provides information about HIV in youth and links to related federal resources.
CDC
CDC’s Awareness Days webpage provides resources, including a social media toolkit, to help spread awareness about HIV among youth. In addition, CDC’s Let’s Stop HIV Together campaign empowers communities, partners, and health providers to promote HIV testing, prevention, and treatment.