HIV Vaccine Awareness Day (May 18) #HVAD
Posted May 14, 2022
Led by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, HIV Vaccine Awareness Day (HVAD) is observed on May 18. This event is an opportunity to recognize the many volunteers, community members, health professionals, and scientists who are working together to find a safe and effective vaccine to prevent HIV. It is also a day to educate communities about the importance of HIV vaccine research.
In a news release for HIV Vaccine Awareness Day 2019, Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases wrote:
“Since the first cases of what would become known as HIV/AIDS were initially reported in 1981, scientists and public health officials have been working to better understand HIV, develop strategies to effectively treat and prevent infection, and bring about an end to the pandemic. This effort remains a critical focus globally and for the United States.
We have the tools at hand that could—if fully implemented—end the HIV pandemic. Large clinical studies have proven that individuals with HIV who use antiretroviral therapy to achieve and maintain an undetectable viral load do not sexually transmit HIV to others—a concept known as undetectable = untransmittable (U=U). People who are at high risk for HIV can take a single daily pill known as PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, that is highly effective at protecting them from the virus. In addition, post-exposure prophylaxis, or PEP, provides a highly effective emergency means of preventing HIV transmission from a recent high-risk exposure and can serve as a bridge to PrEP.”
Read more on
the National Institutes of Health (NIH) website.
More Resources
- Read last year’s NIAID HIV Vaccine Awareness Day Blog.
- Read more about HIV Vaccine Development here.
- Learn more about #HVAD from HIV.gov.
Learn about the current HIV vaccine trials at University of California Health and view openings for future trials:
