By: Jennifer McMillen Smith, LISW-S, HIV Social Worker at MetroHealth Medical Center and medically reviewed by Ann K. Avery, MD, Infectious Disease Physician at MetroHealth Medical Center
What’s up in May for people living with HIV and their supporters? You might want to check out these three events:
- May 18: National HIV Vaccine Awareness Day
- May 19: National Asian and Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
- May 19: Hepatitis Testing Day
Let’s take a closer look at these three events:
National HIV Vaccine Awareness Day
Thursday, May 18, is your day to learn more about the potential for an HIV vaccine and spread the word on what you find out.
So, what’s the deal with HIV vaccines? Well, we don’t have any — and that’s a major problem.
HIV is a worldwide health issue. And right now it’s incurable.
If you have HIV, you can slow it way down by taking anti-retroviral medicines — but we can’t erase it from your body completely.
Effective vaccines stop diseases in their tracks because they program our immune systems to attack and destroy viruses, bacteria, and other bugs.
Scientists hope to develop two kinds of HIV vaccines — one that makes people immune to HIV before they are infected, and another to cure people after they’ve been infected.
What can you do on National HIV Vaccine Awareness Day?
- Talk about the need for a vaccine on your social media accounts
- Get together with your support group and plan an event. Then get media coverage of your event. Here’s a big list of Awareness Day events you can organize and participate in.
- Study up on the facts about HIV vaccines. Here’s a video talking about why we need these vaccines.
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Come join our private, stigma-free, supportive community.
Health management tools with medication & appointment reminders.
Social networking in a community conversation & private chats.
National Asian and Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
On May 19, help get the word out on the importance of HIV testing, safer sex, and the potential of anti-retroviral medications.
You might wonder why there’s a day dedicated to Asians and Pacific Islanders. One reason is that social stigma has made it especially hard for people in these groups to talk about the risks of HIV.
Check out these stats from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
- In 2014, HIV diagnoses in Asian gay and bisexual men doubled between 2005 and 2014.
- Also in 2014, native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders had the fourth-highest rate of HIV diagnosis by race/ethnicity.
HIV is a serious problem for every group. These stats show that people in every racial/ethnic group need to learn more about HIV testing and prevention — and to let go of pointless fear and stereotypes.
That’s definitely a good reason to have an Awareness Day.
May 19: Hepatitis Testing Day
Viral hepatitis is no joke — it attacks your liver and can lead to liver cancer.
Most kinds of viral hepatitis can be cured; others can only be treated with anti-retrovirals. Viral hepatitis can hang around in your body for years before you see any symptoms. But by the time the symptoms show up, your liver can already be damaged. Your liver is important because it cleans the toxins out of your system, so keeping it as healthy is also super important.
Getting tested for viral hepatitis is important, as is getting vaccinated against Hep A and B! And if you’re living with HIV, knowing your hepatitis status can help your doctor make sure you’re getting the best mix of HIV-fighting medicines.
(Here’s a great page explaining the three main varieties — A, B and C — of viral hepatitis.)