Baltimore City Recognizes World AIDS Day

Friday Nov 28th, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE

 

For Immediate Release:
Friday, November 28, 2025

 

Contact:
Victoria Minka
(667) 203 - 1885 (Cell)
Victoria.Minka@BaltimoreCity.gov

PRESS RELEASE

Baltimore City Recognizes World AIDS Day

PRESS RELEASE

BALTIMORE, MD (Friday, November 28, 2025) — Beginning on Monday, December 1, 2025, the Baltimore City Health Department will host several events to honor World AIDS Day.  

World AIDS Day was established in 1988 to encourage communities to demonstrate strength and solidarity in the fight against HIV and to remember those lost to HIV/AIDS. Today, medications exist that enable people with HIV to live long, healthy lives and prevent transmission. However, there is still work to do. HIV still faces stigma, and large disparities exist in prevention and treatment access. We must ensure that prevention and treatment resources are accessible to everyone.  

This year's UNAIDS theme, "Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response," encourages us to recommit to raising awareness, prioritizing access to HIV prevention, testing, and treatment, integrating HIV services into community-based approaches, addressing inequalities that drive the HIV epidemic, and empowering communities.   

The number of new HIV cases in Baltimore each year has decreased significantly. At the height of the HIV epidemic, over 1,000 people were diagnosed annually. In 2024, 179 individuals were diagnosed with HIV. Despite this progress, the number remains too high. With current tools, we aim to see even fewer diagnoses each year. Most people are diagnosed between ages 20 and 39; 75% are Black, 14% are Hispanic, and 79% are male. Racial and ethnic disparities among those at highest risk for HIV continue to exist, and we must address them. Among those diagnosed, 73% have HIV well-controlled, with a suppressed viral load, meaning HIV is no longer detectable in their blood and they cannot transmit the virus to others. 

Mayor Scott encourages residents to participate in the following activities: 

  • Baltimore City Health Department (BCHD) Free HIV Testing Events: Monday, December 1, 2025, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.  
    • Lexington Market: 112 N. Eutaw Street, Baltimore, MD 21201 
    • BCHD Eastern Sexual Health and Wellness Clinic: 1200 E. Fayette Street, Baltimore, MD 21202 
    • BCHD Druid Sexual Health and Wellness Clinic at Total Health Care: 1501 W. Saratoga Street, Baltimore, MD 21223 
  • World AIDS Day Candlelight Vigil: Monday, December 1, 2025, 4:30 - 5:30 p.m., at City Hall Plaza, 100 N. Holliday Street (weather permitting)  
  • Social Media: Follow BCHD on Facebook, Instagram, and X/Twitter for resources regarding HIV prevention and treatment, and join the national conversation by including the hashtags #WorldAIDSDay and #StopHIVTogether. Let’s get tested and end HIV stigma.  

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