Local HIV organizations are trying to reverse the pandemic’s downturn in testing
DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writer
taffet@dallasvoice.com
The number of HIV tests taking place plummeted during the pandemic, according to information provided by the drug maker Gilead Sciences, and, as the U.S. marks National HIV Testing Day on Monday, June 27, HIV/AIDS advocates are urging people to pick up the pace again and get tested.
From 2019 to 2020, the number of HIV tests performed in the U.S. dropped from 2.3 million to 1.2 million. New HIV diagnoses fell by 17 percent during that period after annual declines of just 3 percent during each of the previous three years.
In Dallas, testing declined as well, falling from 385,000 tests in 2019 to 232,624 in 2020.
Among the local organizations with testing events on Monday is the Afiya Center. Get Tested/Grab a Bite is the organization’s ninth annual community HIV testing event.
The Afiya Center works to address the needs of Black women to decrease HIV risk. They note that one in seven people living with HIV doesn’t know it and recommends updating your HIV and STD status every three to six month or more frequently depending on your sexual activity.
The free HIV testing will be provided by Abounding Prosperity and Dallas County from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at Glendale Park, 1515 E. Ledbetter Drive. COVID-19 vaccines and boosters will also be offered. The afternoon includes food, a DJ and more.
While Monday is National HIV Testing Day, Prism Health North Texas is hoping to reach more North Texans with after-hours STI and HIV testing at the Pride Clinic, open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 5-8 p.m., at the organization’s Worth Street Health Center, 4004 Worth St. on the Baylor campus.
Resource Center’s Sexy Health HIV testing van was at the Dallas Museum of Art for the Arts District block party on June 17. To find out if the van will be offering testing near you, or to schedule an appointment for testing at Resource Center’s Nelson-Tebedo Clinic, call 214-528-2336.
