National HIV Testing Day takes place annually on June 27 to encourage people to get tested for HIV, know their status, and seek care and treatment services. First observed in 1995, the theme for National HIV Testing Day in 2023 is “Take the Test & Take the Next Step,” emphasizing that knowledge of HIV status helps people choose options to stay healthy.

An estimated 1.2 million people in the United States have HIV, but one in seven people with HIV do not know they have it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone aged 13–64 get tested for HIV at least once as part of 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.

Testing is the pathway to engaging people in care and reducing the spread of the virus, a key pillar of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) HIV/AIDS research agenda, as well as the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) and the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. (EHE) initiative. Still, for historical and social reasons, stigma, discrimination, and other factors have kept testing out of reach for many of the communities most affected by HIV.

Learn more and access additional resources on the HIVinfo National HIV Testing Day page.