Virginia

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day – Virginia Department of Health

Published

3 months ago

on

February 7, 2026

By

Press Room

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day – Virginia Department of Health

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) is observed on February 7 each year. It exists to raise awareness about the impact of HIV on Black and African American communities. It was first observed in 1999 and highlights the importance of decreasing stigma and increasing community involvement. Improving access to HIV education, prevention, testing, and HIV care are focuses of NBHAAD, as well.

Virginia data

As is the case across the U.S., Black and African American communities are more impacted by HIV in Virginia. In 2024, while Black/African American communities made up 19.12% of Virginia’s population, they accounted for 50.2% of new HIV diagnoses and 56% of people with HIV in Virginia that year. The figure below shows the rate of new HIV diagnoses by race and ethnicity per 100,000 persons. Using rates allows for the comparison across different population sizes.

You can find additional HIV, STD, and viral hepatitis data on our website.

Causes

According to KFF, several challenges may contribute to the epidemic among Black people. These include experiences with:

Higher rates of poverty

Lack of access to health care

Higher rates of some sexually transmitted infections

Lower awareness of HIV status

Stigma and discrimination

Combating Stigma

How can you help combat stigma? Talk openly about HIV to help normalize the subject. This helps others learn about HIV and correct myths and misinformation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a stigma language guide that can help with these talks.

We can all help end HIV stigma through our words and actions in everyday life. Be a role model for positive and supportive behavior. Check out some scenarios from CDC to see how you can model positive behavior when you witness HIV stigma.

Access testing and prevention services near you

Free or low-cost HIV, STD, and viral hepatitis testing is available throughout Virginia. VDH funds local health departments, clinics, and community organizations to offer testing services if you do not have a primary care provider. To learn more about testing in Virginia or to find testing near you, visit our testing webpage.

PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) for HIV is available as a pill taken daily, or a shot taken every other month or every six months. PrEP prevents getting HIV through sexual contact about 99% of the time when taken as prescribed. VDH provides funds to locations throughout the Commonwealth to offer HIV PrEP.

Additionally, there are also post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) options to prevent HIV and STDs. PEP for HIV involves taking a course of medications to prevent HIV infection. It is critical that these medications are started within 72 hours of a potential exposure. DoxyPEP involves taking the antibiotic doxycycline after unprotected sex to prevent getting a bacterial STD. DoxyPEP is available at most local health departments.

If you’re interested in PrEP or PEP, visit our PrEP and PEP webpage to learn more or find a PrEP clinic near you. As noted above, nPEP is extremely time-sensitive, so please call your provider or our hotline if you believe you have been exposed to HIV and need PEP. To learn more about DoxyPEP, read our DoxyPEP fact sheet.

VDH’s response

VDH’s Division of Disease Prevention has multiple programs that address HIV prevention and treatment. This includes:

Funding, oversight, resources, or support to local health departments, community, and/or clinical organizations for:

HIV, STD, and viral hepatitis testing programs

Patient linkages and referrals

Education and outreach programs

Comprehensive harm reduction programs

PrEP, PEP, and DoxyPEP distribution

Disease intervention services

Data collection and follow-up

Community planning groups

Learn more about the services that VDH provides on our website. If you want to become involved in any of our community groups, visit our Get Involved page.

Reach out for support

If you have any questions or need additional support, contact the Virginia Disease Prevention Hotline. Hotline counselors are available weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Virginia state holidays.

The hotline number is (800) 533-4148 and is toll free.

Hotline staff can help connect you to programs and needed resources throughout Virginia.

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Virginia

Virginia Supreme Court voids voter-approved redistricting referendum

Published

9 hours ago

on

May 11, 2026

By

Press Room

Virginia Supreme Court voids voter-approved redistricting referendum

On May 8, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the General Assembly violated the state constitution when it tried to redraw congressional districts, nullifying the results of the April election in which Virginians narrowly approved redistricting.

Electoral maps are usually redrawn once every 10 years, but multiple states began redrawing them early after President Donald Trump urged Republicans to redraw district lines to ensure more favorable results for the party in the November 2026 elections.

This started a nationwide political battle for control of the U.S. House of Representatives. Texas was the first of several states to redraw districts favoring Republicans, and Virginia Democrats had proposed a constitutional amendment to allow redistricting in order to favor Democrats.

As of May 8, Republicans had initiated redistricting efforts in eight states; Democrats had led redistricting efforts in three states, including Virginia, the Washington Post reported.

In April, Virginia voters supported the redistricting amendment with 51.7% voting for it out of more than 3 million ballots cast. It could have given Democrats up to four extra seats in the U.S. House, according to the Washington Post (subscription required).

But the Virginia Supreme Court, in a 4-3 ruling, found that there were procedural errors in how the Democratic legislature handled the process, nullifying the election results.

The Virginia Constitution says that proposed constitutional amendments must pass in the General Assembly twice before the public can vote on them: once before an election of the House of Delegates, and again after an election. According to the Virginia Supreme Court majority opinion written by Justice D. Arthur Kelsey, early voting for the general election had already been open for six weeks when the General Assembly cast its first vote on the amendment in October 2025, with more than 1.3 million voters having already cast their ballots.

“This violation irreparably undermines the integrity of the resulting referendum vote and renders it null and void,” the court majority opinion stated.

The court’s ruling means the state reverts to the old district maps adopted in 2021. Based on those maps, Virginia voters elected six Democrats and five Republicans to the U.S. House.

Following the court’s ruling, some Virginia Democrats who planned to run for the U.S. House told the New York Times that they have to abandon their campaigns, while others, such as Tom Perriello who is running for the 5th District, face much more difficult campaigns.

Virginia Democrats on Friday asked the court to pause the nullification of the referendum results while they prepare their appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, according to VPM.

Take action

Get in touch if you’ve been impacted by the overturned redistricting results

If you’ve been impacted by the Virginia State Supreme Court’s decision to nullify the results of the April 21 special election on redistricting, we want to hear from you.

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