Philadelphia Department of Public Health HIV testing campaign
According to PhillyKeepOnLoving.com:
30,000 people are estimated to be living with HIV in the greater Philadelphia region
Philadelphia has an HIV rate that is 4x the national average
62% of new HIV infections occur in persons under the age of 35
And 1 in 5 gay/bi men are HIV positive, but nearly half don’t know it (Time magazine, HIV.gov, and WebMD).
Philadelphia offers free at-home HIV test kits, but access is not the problem. According to the CDC, over 70% of people who have never been tested for HIV before claim it is because they are “unlikely to have been exposed.” But HIV doesn’t discriminate. And the numbers don’t lie: Philadelphia youth are at risk.
People avoid getting tested for HIV because they’d rather not know either way than to find out they’re positive. Young people tend to believe they’re invincible. And if they don’t feel sick, they don’t want to change their lifestyle. The truth is that knowing your HIV status is the best way to protect yourself and your partner. Treatment works, but you have to get tested first. The problem is: how do we encourage men who have sex with men to get tested for HIV?
Most people assume finding out they are HIV positive would have a drastically negative impact on their life. We’re turning that notion on its head. Because having HIV isn’t life threatening, but not knowing is. Our idea is to point out how knowing your HIV status actually improves your sex life. That’s what people care about, and once you know your status you can love better. So test easy, and love freely.
Check out the rest of the campaign at phillykeeponloving.com.