Friday, July 17, marks National HIV Prevention Day 2026. PrEP4All, a group of organizations and health leaders devoted to increasing access to HIV prevention, launched the awareness day in 2018 as “a call to action to advance a simple yet urgent belief: HIV prevention is a human right, and access to lifesaving prevention tools should never depend on income, insurance status, geography or politics.”
National HIV Prevention Day complements PrEP4All’s campaign for a federally funded National PrEP Program that would provide the full spectrum of HIV prevention, including testing, sexual health care, medications, harm reduction and more.
PrEP refers to pre-exposure prophylaxis, which HIV-negative people take to prevent the acquisition of HIV. To date, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved four forms of PrEP: Truvada and Descovy are daily pills; Apretude is a shot given every two months; and Yeztugo is a twice-yearly injectable that is highly effective in women, gay men and gender-diverse populations. Due to insufficient evidence, Descovy is not yet indicated as PrEP for cisgender women and trans men. Generic (and much cheaper) versions of Truvada are available. To learn more about PrEP, see the POZ Basics on HIV Prevention: Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP).
Under the rules of the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or Obamacare), health insurers must cover preventive health services that receive an A or B grade from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). In August 2023, USPSTF gave an A grad to all three PrEP forms of HIV prevention that had been approved at that time: Truvada, Descovy and Apretude. (Yeztugo, also known as lenacapavir, was approved in 2025, and advocates urge health care insurers to cover it as well.)
In recent years, conservatives have filed lawsuits challenging the ACA’s mandate to cover preventive health services. These include not just PrEP but also cholesterol-lowering statins, vaccines and many screenings for cancer, diabetes and hepatitis.
In June 2025, the Supreme Court upheld the ACA mandate to cover these preventive services but stressed that the task force falls under the leadership of the nation’s health secretary. Currently, that person is Roberts F. Kennedy Jr., who is already dismantling federal health programs and services. He recently removed members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a panel of experts that sets U.S. vaccine policy. As such, the future of the USPSTF and PrEP insurance coverage remain unclear.
PrEP4All lays out the importance of the National HIV Prevention Day and ways it will be marked this year:
At a moment when HIV prevention programs in the United States and around the world face unprecedented threats to funding and access, we believe National HIV Prevention Day presents an important opportunity to elevate the conversation around prevention, celebrate the extraordinary scientific tools available to us, and recommit ourselves to ensuring those tools reach everyone who needs them.
This year, PrEP4All will mark National HIV Prevention Day with a public activation and press event in New York City in partnership with Callen-Lorde Community Health Center.
That event takes place 12:30–1:30 p.m., Friday, July 17, at Times Square in New York City.
In a National HIV Prevention Day toolkit, PrEP4All includes ways people can participate, including sample text for social media:
National HIV Prevention Day is designed to be a collaborative national observance. Whether your organization serves local communities or works nationally, we ask you to participate by simply elevating the HIV prevention work you’re already leading.
Ways to participate include:
• Publish a blog, newsletter, or organizational statement recognizing National HIV Prevention Day.
• Share your HIV prevention programs, services, and community resources.
• Create original social media graphics, reels, or short videos highlighting the importance of HIV prevention.
• Spotlight your staff, clinicians, researchers, advocates, or community members.
• Promote PrEP, PEP, doxyPEP, HIV testing, harm reduction, and comprehensive sexual health services.
• Host a webinar, panel discussion, training, or community conversation.
• Encourage your community to connect with local HIV prevention resources.
• Partner with peer organizations to amplify HIV prevention messaging throughout the day.
• Engage in a live or streaming event to call attention to the day and its meaning to you.
• Activate your audience
Whenever possible, tag @PrEP4All and use #HIVPreventionDay and #PrEP4All so we can amplify your work and showcase the collective impact of organizations participating nationwide.
Sample Social Posts
Option 1
Today we observe National #HIVPreventionDay. HIV prevention is a human right, and everyone deserves access to the tools that make prevention possible—from HIV testing and PrEP to harm reduction and comprehensive sexual health care.
Learn more about our work: [LINK TO YOUR PROGRAM]
#PrEP4All
Option 2
With enough political will, we can end the HIV epidemic.
This National #HIVPreventionDay, we’re recommitting ourselves to expanding access to HIV prevention and ensuring everyone has the opportunity to benefit from lifesaving prevention tools.
Learn more about our work: [LINK TO YOUR PROGRAM]
#PrEP4All
Option 3
Today we join organizations across the country in observing National HIV Prevention Day.
Together, we can reduce stigma, expand access to prevention, and build a future where everyone has access to the care and services they need to stay healthy.
Learn more: [LINK TO YOUR PROGRAM]
#HIVPreventionDay #PrEP4All
Sample Video Prompt
Record a short (30–60 second) video answering one or a few of these questions:
• What does HIV prevention mean to you?
• What does HIV prevention look like in your community?
• How is your organization advancing HIV prevention?
• What role do you play in HIV prevention?
• Show us how you’re observing National HIV Prevention Day.
Share why HIV prevention matters, the work your organization is doing, and how people can connect with prevention resources in your community.
Click here to learn more about 2026 HIV and AIDS awareness days and for a printable poster.
