INDIANAPOLIS—Teaching Indiana youth about HIV/AIDS is critical to preventing infection and saving lives. National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day, April 10, is a time to educate people of all ages about the impact of HIV and AIDS on young people, as well as highlight the amazing work young people are doing across the country to fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Today’s youth have never lived in a world without HIV and AIDS. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in four new HIV cases is among youth ages 13 to 24. Every month, 1,000 young people acquire HIV and more than 70,000 young people are currently living with HIV across the country.
“National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day is an opportunity to raise awareness about the risk of HIV/AIDS among young people,” said State Health Commissioner Jerome Adams, M.D., M.P.H. “We are currently experiencing an outbreak of HIV in southeastern Indiana which has devastated lives and put the community in turmoil. Education is the key to preventing HIV and it’s our responsibility to equip our young people with the information they need to protect themselves and prevent HIV.”
HIV is spread mainly through sexual contact with someone who has HIV and through injection drug use (sharing needles, syringes or other equipment used to prepare injection drugs). Anyone can get HIV, but steps can be taken to protect against HIV infection.
- Get tested and know your partner’s HIV status. Talk to your partner about HIV testing and get tested before you have sex.
- Use condoms correctly and consistently for any sexual act.
- Limit your number of sexual partners. If you have more than one sexual partner, get tested for HIV regularly. Get tested and treated for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and insist that your partners do, as having an STD can increase your risk of becoming infected with HIV.
- Don’t inject drugs. If you do, use only sterile drug injection equipment and never share your equipment with others.
A variety of celebrations and events are scheduled throughout the country on National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day. To find an event or learn more about how to participate in National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day, visit https://www.aids.gov/news-and-events/awareness-days/youth/.
The HIV public awareness campaign, You Are Not Alone, is currently running on social media statewide on TV, radio, billboards and newspapers in southeastern Indiana. For more information about the campaign, visit www.StateHealth.in.gov.
Follow the Indiana State Department of Health on Twitter at @StateHealthIN and on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/isdh1.
Hoosiers who do not have health care coverage or access to a doctor are encouraged to check availability for the new Healthy Indiana Plan—HIP 2.0—by visiting www.HIP.IN.gov or calling 1-877-GET-HIP-9.
