Only 28% of young adults aged 18–24 say they’ve ever been tested for HIV.
Only 28% of young adults aged 18 to 24 say they have taken an HIV test. Doctors have made great progress in treating and preventing HIV over the past few decades. Yet, teens and young adults still face high rates of new infections. They also deal with barriers to testing and care. Public health advocates urge us to tackle this urgent stigma right away.
Generation Z grew up after a global pandemic. To them, the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 1990s feels like ancient history. It might even seem irrelevant. Scientists created breakthrough drugs to block HIV transmission. Today, an infection is no longer a death sentence.
But for young Black people, the epidemic never truly ended. Black teens and young adults still face very high rates of new infections. Shame, stigma, and silence drive this ongoing crisis. At the same time, schools and healthcare systems still fail to protect them.
RELATED: Centering Black Women and Girls in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS
Healthcare workers, advocates, and public health departments want to reverse this trend. They join forces nationwide to launch events and ad campaigns. These groups remind young people that HIV remains common. We must take the virus seriously.
“The reality is that young people are overlooking HIV, and we must change that,” Bithiah Lafontant said in a statement. She works as the director of communications for ViiV Healthcare.
#HIVAwareness #YouthHealth #EndTheStigma
