Asian & Pacific Islanders HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Two young men laying on the grass looking up at the sky

May 19 is National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. It is a day to break the silence about HIV and AIDS in Asian and Pacific Islander communities and encourage individuals to get tested for HIV.

Asians, who make up 6% of the U.S. population, accounted for 2% of the 38,739 new HIV diagnoses in the U.S. and six dependent areas in 2017. Of Asians who received an HIV diagnosis in 2017, 87% were men and 13% were women; gay and bisexual men (not including those who inject drugs) accounted for 91% of HIV diagnoses among all Asian men. Unfortunately, the number of HIV diagnoses among Asians in the U.S. (50 states and D.C.) increased 42% overall and 52% among Asian gay and bisexual men (including those who inject drugs) from 2010 to 2016. These increases suggest that more HIV testing, treatment and prevention efforts are needed within Asian communities.