June 8th is Caribbean-American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (CAHAAD). CAHAAD is an opportunity to increase conversations about and action around HIV while supporting advocacy, testing, treatment, and care for Caribbean people. The Caribbean is the second-most affected region globally, with higher HIV rates than any region outside of sub-Saharan Africa.
In 2020, an estimated 330,000 people in the Caribbean were living with HIV, equating to an HIV prevalence of 1.6%. In the same year, there were 13,000 new infections in the Caribbean, and 6,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses in the region. 270,000 or 82% of people in the Caribbean who are living with HIV know their status, 220,000 people are on ART, and 190,000 people living with HIV have suppressed viral loads. In addition, HIV rates have gone down by 28% since 2010 in the Caribbean.
Learn more about how HIV/AIDS affects Caribbean Americans by downloading NBJC’s CAHAAD toolkit HERE.
NBJC has created the Words Matter HIV Toolkit to support Black people in having asset-based, stigma-free conversations about holistic health and wellness. The toolkit encourages loved ones to stay healthy by taking medicine if they live with HIV or are on PrEP.
To end this epidemic, we must know our status by getting tested. Doctors recommend getting tested every three to six months. You can find a testing site near you HERE or get a free at-home HIV testing kit HERE.
Digital Assets:
You can engage in Caribbean HIV/AIDS Awareness Day and help spread essential information about HIV transmission and testing using the CAHAAD toolkit and digital assets. Share these assets across social media platforms to start conversations with those who follow you and use the hashtags: #CAHAAD, #PACT4HIV, and #StopHIVTogeth
