Encourage Women to Get Tested for HIV/AIDS
June 27th is National HIV Testing Day, observed each year to raise awareness about the importance of HIV testing and early diagnosis of HIV. The CDC recommends that everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 get tested for HIV at least once as part of routine health care, and that all pregnant women get tested for HIV.
Encouraging women to get tested for HIV/AIDS is an important element of WIC’s role as an adjunct to good healthcare and helps to fulfill WIC’s mission to safeguard the health of the women, infants and children WIC serves. If women are tested early in their pregnancy, those who are infected can be given therapy to improve their own health and reduce the risk of transmitting HIV to the baby.
For participants who have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, staff can provide important information and education on nutrition and food safety, as well as referrals to health care and social services. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides a guide for Nutrition and Exercise for People with HIV.
A healthy diet for pregnant women with HIV includes eating a variety of foods from the five food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein foods, and dairy - all foods that WIC food packages provide.
Looking for ways to help WIC families incorporate foods found in the WIC food packages into their diets? Share these easy to prepare recipes from the WIC Meals of the Month series.
Looking for digital tools to help participants? Check out MyPlate.gov.
HIV.gov offers tools and treatment information, such as:
- A locator for Testing Sites and Care Services (see the widget below)
- HIV Basics that includes information such as finding an HIV Care Provider and HIV Treatment Overview
The CDC HIV page (information also available in Spanish) provides a wealth of information about and resources for prevention and transmission, information about how HIV affects specific populations, information about risk behaviors, prevention tools and testing, and more.
Find more information and resources related to HIV/AIDS on the WIC Works Resource System by searching “HIV.” Staff will find collection pages such as HIV Among Pregnant Women, Infants and Children and AIDS Info - HIV & Pregnancy, as well as other resources that include HIV as a topic, such as the WIC Infant Nutrition and Feeding Guide and WIC Breastfeeding Policy & Guidance.
Updated: June 2024