AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) the world’s largest AIDS service organization, has launched two new, striking advertising campaigns - “Not Ready For Parenthood?” and “Plan A” - to encourage people to use condoms when having sex. Condoms continue to be one of the most effective ways to prevent unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and HIV. AHF started posting its ads mid-January in multiple cities.

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In 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released preliminary data showing a steady increase of new STD cases across the U.S. Experts who analyzed the data with NBC News and The Washington Post believe the main contributing factor is a lack of condom use. For pregnant women, a spike in new syphilis cases is particularly worrisome due to the STD’s ability to mimic other infections and mask its own. For men who have sex with men, the availability of new medications such as PrEP or pre-exposure prophylaxis, is making condom use seem less necessary.

“As a woman of color, having the ability to decide when to have a child can be the difference in the earning power of a family,” said Tracy Jones, National Director of Advocacy, AHF. “This is especially true when women are the primary financial support to their families. Women deserve the right to choose the best time to create a family, and using a condom (Plan A) gives them the opportunity to protect themselves and be in a position to make the best decision for themselves.”

AHF has been promoting sexual health and STD screening through its innovative public awareness and billboard campaigns for the past several years in response to the overall skyrocketing rates of STDs nationwide, particularly among young people, women, and men-who-have-sex-with-men.

In 2014, AHF launched its “Syphilis Explosion” outdoor advertising campaign, followed by its “Syphilis Tsunami” advertisements which ran in Los Angeles in 2016. In June 2018, the organization launched its ‘Gonorrhea Alert’ billboard campaign, a nationwide effort to educate about a drug-resistant strain of the STD. These outdoor ads emphasized the necessity of condom use. Years later, the message continues to be of vital importance.

To find locations for free STD/HIV screening, visit www.freestdcheck.org.

About AHF

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to more than 1.7 million people in 45 countries in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region, and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

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