How to Get Involved This World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day Guidance
World AIDS Day Fact Sheets

Why are we still Getting Loud?

The short answer is that we still have work to do.

In 2020, we created Get Loud Louisiana, a community-centered campaign and five-year strategy to end the HIV epidemic in our state. It was a fresh initiative to bring all of Louisiana together to strategize about how to end the HIV epidemic. While there is no one solution, we settled on a few ideas to get us going in the right direction:

  • We wanted everyone to start talking more about HIV, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), hepatitis C and sexual health.
  • We wanted to break down the stigma and misconceptions that surround HIV, STIs and hepatitis C.
  • We wanted to lift up the voices of those who are living with HIV and those who are impacted — and make sure they are the ones leading the way forward.

Learn more at GetLoudLouisiana.org.


What do we mean by “Ending the HIV Epidemic”?

Many community leaders across the United States are calling for an end to the HIV epidemic in their cities, their counties and their states through the development of Ending the HIV Epidemic (ETE or EHE) plans. We now have the tools to effectively do just that — PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), which allows people to remain HIV-negative, much-improved medications that allow people living with HIV to enjoy the same life expectancy as people without, and scientific proof that Undetectable=Untransmittable (U=U) allows people living with HIV to prevent the transmission of HIV to intimate partners. We are in a position to create ambitious and bold plans to improve health outcomes for all people living with and vulnerable to HIV, reducing its impact and bringing new infections below epidemic levels.

As of June 30, 2023, a total of 22,920 persons were living with HIV (PLWH) in Louisiana. Of these individuals, 11,033 persons (48%) have an AIDS diagnosis. In 2021, Louisiana ranked 3rd in the nation for HIV diagnosis rates and 11th in the number of estimated HIV diagnoses.