Let’s Stop HIV Together

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is Sunday, February 7.

Black people make up 13% of the population in the United States but account for 43% of new HIV diagnoses.

Among black people, most new HIV diagnoses were among men, but over one third of new diagnoses were woman, and 92% of those women acquired HIV through heterosexual contact.

Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale County Health Departments is committed to helping reduce HIV infections in our counties. We believe that together, we CAN stop HIV in its tracks, and we’re here to help by providing the HIV education, testing and prevention you need to protect yourself.

Start reducing your chances of acquiring or spreading HIV by contacting or visiting* the health department to:

Get free condoms.

Latex condoms, when used consistently and correctly, are highly effective in preventing the sexual transmission of HIV. In addition, consistent and correct use of latex condoms reduces the risk of other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Condoms are available at no cost to you at each of our health centers or by mail.

Sign up for condoms by mail.

Find a health center near you.

Start PrEP.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis, called PrEP, is a daily pill that lowers your chances of acquiring HIV when used as prescribed. It’s just one pill a day! The health department offers two types of PrEP, Truvada and Descovy.

Learn more about PrEP.

Know your HIV status.

The health department offers free HIV testing in our health centers or at home.
Some people with HIV are unaware they have it. People who don’t know they have HIV can’t get the care and treatment they need and may transmit HIV to others without knowing it.

By staying up-to-date on HIV status, individuals can take medicine to treat HIV if they have the virus. Taking HIV medicine every day can make the viral load undetectable. People who get and keep an undetectable viral load (or remain virally suppressed) can stay healthy for many years and have effectively no risk of transmitting HIV to their sex partners. Undetectable = untransmissible!

Get tested for HIV at one of our health centers.

Have a home HIV test kit mailed directly to you.

In addition to reducing your chances for spreading or acquiring HIV, one of the most important things you can do to help stop HIV infections from gaining a stronghold in your community is to:

Talk openly about HIV to reduce the stigma.

When you talk about how you are protecting yourself from HIV or about getting tested for HIV, it helps others feel comfortable taking important steps to protect their own health, too.

If you’d like to learn more about National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day visit:

aidsvu.org
HIV.gov

Let’s all work to #StopHIVTogether!

*Due to COVID-19, some services require appointments and some services may only be available at certain locations.

For HIV statistical data, visit cdc.gov.