On the occasion of World AIDS Day, commemorated on December 1st, the Fundación Huésped launched a prevention campaign covered by Agencia Noticias Argentinas. It is the campaign 'Once in your life, get tested for HIV', an invitation for everyone to set aside fears and prejudices and get tested for HIV. 'Our campaign this year has a key question: who can say they have always been careful? Who can say they have never taken a risk?', said Leandro Cahn, Executive Director of Fundación Huésped. It is important to remember that HIV does not present symptoms and we can live with the virus for many years in our body without it manifesting. Knowing the HIV diagnosis is an opportunity to access treatments that allow for a good quality of life and, even, not to transmit the virus sexually. Fundación Huésped joins the 5th edition of the International HIV Testing Week, an initiative of the international network Coalición PLUS of organizations working on HIV and viral hepatitis. During this week, free HIV testing actions will be carried out in populations particularly affected. In Argentina, 98% of HIV infections occur through sexual relations without prevention methods, while every year, 6,400 people receive their HIV diagnosis and 45% of them do so late, when their immune system is already weakened. The only way to know if a person has HIV is with a test, and in our country, the HIV test does not require a medical order, it is fast, free, confidential, and voluntary. 'Every peso not invested in prevention, early detection, and timely treatment demands more money to treat the consequences of this lack of investment,' Cahn added. In 2025, at the national level, the State did not allocate or execute a budget for HIV prevention. While in 2023, 275,565 pamphlets were distributed, in 2025 it was 0. Regarding HIV diagnosis, in 2023, 1,120,380 tests were distributed, while for 2026, 581,000 are planned. 'The budget is the concrete expression of a government's priorities,' Cahn said. 'The right to health cannot be a variable of budgetary adjustment'. During the International HIV Testing Week, free testing will be carried out at various locations across the country. Information will also be provided, and in the case of positive results, a referral to the health system and accompaniment will be offered.
