National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day

National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day (NYHAAD) on April 10 highlights the impact of HIV on 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, a non-government organization that champions youth rights to bodily autonomy and builds power to transform policies, programs, and systems to secure sexual health for all youth.

It may seem like HIV is something from the past that no longer affects young people in the United States. But that perception isn’t the reality. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): 

• In 2022, adolescents and young adults (aged 13 to 24 years) accounted for 19% of all new diagnoses. 
• Only 6% of high school students have been tested for HIV. About 44% of adolescents and young adults with HIV do not know they have it. Youth need to know their HIV status to stay healthy. 
• Among adolescents and young adults who know their status, 82% were linked to HIV medical care in 2023, and about 69% were virally suppressed. People with HIV who are virally suppressed have an undetectable amount of the virus in the blood 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 prevention, testing, and treatment for different populations, including youth. This includes research to understand effective strategies to bring HIV services to adolescents and young adults.

Social Media

Search for 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 on the Advocates for Youth NYHAAD webpage.