National HIV Testing Day (NHTD) is observed on June 27th each year to emphasize and encourage HIV testing. Knowledge of HIV status is the first step to accessing prevention or treatment services that enable individuals to live long and healthy lives regardless of their status. HIV testing can be free, easy, fast, and confidential, and HIV self-tests can be done when and where an individual chooses.
The National HIV/AIDS Strategy and the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. initiative emphasize diagnosing individuals as soon as possible and ensuring the availability of multiple HIV testing methods and approaches to best meet the needs of populations with increased risk of transmission due to a wide range of social, economic, and demographic factors (such as stigma, discrimination, etc.).
The theme for this year’s NHTD, “Take the Test & Take the Next Step” emphasizes that knowing your HIV status helps you choose options to stay healthy. HIV testing, including self-testing, is the pathway to engaging people in care so that they can stay healthy, regardless of their status. Watch our latest FYI video with key leaders to hear them discuss the importance of NHTD and this year’s theme. Using this theme, partners can add a tagline to customize as they like. For example:
- Take the Test & Take the Next Step: No matter how you test, no matter your test results, take the next step.
- Take the Test & Take the Next Step: Check your status and know. Take the steps to be good to go.
- Take the Test & Take the Next Step: Testing – critical to ending the HIV epidemic in the U.S.!
NHTD Resources
CDC’s National HIV Testing Day page provides social media posts and graphics you can use to help emphasize and encourage HIV testing.
Join the conversation on social media using #HIVTestingDay and share the message that there are many options for getting tested.
Locators hosted by HIV.gov and CDC.gov, among others, allow individuals to search by ZIP code for testing services or self-test kits provided by local, state, and national programs.
Let’s Stop HIV Together testing resources include a prefiltered link, where results can be filtered based on desired format, audience, and language.
HIV screening is covered by health insurance, as required under the Affordable Care Act. For individuals without insurance, free testing is available. Use Get Tested to search for free testing resources. Currently, CDC and many other organizations are distributing free HIV self-testing kitsExit Disclaimer. More information about HIV testing is available on our HIV Testing Overview page.
Testing Recommendations
CDC recommends the following HIV testing guidelines:
- Everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 should get tested for HIV at least once as part of their routine health care.
- Those with certain ongoing risk factors – such as having more than one sex partner since their last HIV test or having sex with someone whose sexual history they don’t know – should get tested annually. Some sexually active gay and bisexual men may benefit from more frequent testing (e.g., every 3 to 6 months).
- As part of proactive prenatal care, all pregnant people should receive certain blood tests to detect infections and other illnesses, such as syphilis and Hepatitis B.
More information about HIV testing is available on our HIV Testing Overview page and on CDC’s HIV Testing Basics page.
Also, please visit Get Healthy and Ready for Summer 2023 for resources for the LGBTQ+ community, including information on HIV testing, travel, mpox, and more.