Cross-post from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Dear Colleague,

June 27 is National HIV Testing Day (NHTD), when we emphasize the importance of HIV testing and knowing your HIV status. This year’s NHTD theme, “Level up your self-love: check your status,” encourages us to get tested to show that we value, respect, and have compassion for ourselves, by taking charge of our health and wellness.

HIV testing is an essential entry point for services such as PrEP for those without HIV, and HIV treatment for those who have HIV. Testing programs have been critical contributors to the 12% decrease in estimated HIV infections from 2018 to 2022, and a major factor contributing to ongoing disparities in HIV is a lack of access to and implementation of HIV testing and screening programs.

To address this challenge, CDC funded Emory University and its partners, Building Healthy Online Communities (BHOC), NASTAD, Signal Group, and OraSure Technologies to launch Together TakeMeHome (TTMH)Exit Disclaimer, a nationwide program to distribute free HIV self-tests directly to consumers by mail. In the first year of the program, TTMH prioritized three audiences disproportionately affected by HIV: gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men; transgender women (of any race); and cisgender Black women. From March 14, 2023, through March 13, 2024, the program distributed 443,813 tests to 219,360 people. Among those who responded to a post-order questionnaire, 68% were from priority audiences, 24% had never previously tested for HIV, and 25% had not tested in the past year. Adding to information from the initial trials that showed that a direct-to-consumer program would be effective, safe, and cost-saving, these data suggest that distributing HIV self-tests by mail could be implemented at a large scale, and reach large numbers of people who have never taken an HIV test or have not been tested as often as recommended. If you are interested in supporting TTMH, email us at StopHIVTogether@cdc.gov for a custom toolkit of self-testing resources.

TTMHExit Disclaimer complements a range of options to facilitate HIV testing. In addition to getting tested during a health care provider visit, individuals can find free or low-cost HIV testing options near them at gettested.cdc.gov. Find more free rapid HIV and STD testing and information on HIV prevention and linkage to care (in EnglishExit Disclaimer or SpanishExit Disclaimer) at local NHTD events on June 27, and share with your patients, colleagues, and communities.

To help us promote NHTD, download and share resources from CDC’s Let’s Stop HIV Together campaign. Let’s Stop HIV Together is an evidence-based campaign created in English and Spanish that aims to empower communities, partners, and health care providers to reduce HIV stigma and promote HIV testing, prevention, and treatment. You can also share social media content from CDC’s digital toolkit using the #HIVTestingDay hashtag and help spread the word about HIV testing opportunities.

Together, we can help more people access HIV testing, prevention, and treatment services so we can all level up our self-love and end the HIV epidemic.

Sincerely,

/Robyn Fanfair/
Robyn Neblett Fanfair, MD, MPH
Captain, USPHS
Director
Division of HIV Prevention
National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov/hiv

/Jonathan Mermin/
Jonathan Mermin, MD, MPH
Rear Admiral, USPHS (retired)
Director
National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Stay connected: @DrMerminCDCExit Disclaimer & Connections