STD Awareness Month
April is STD Awareness Month, an annual observance to raise public awareness about the impact of STDs on the lives of Americans and the importance of preventing, testing for, and treating STDs. It is an opportunity to normalize routine STD testing and conversations about sexual health. If you’re sexually active, particularly with multiple partners, you’ve probably heard the following advice many times: Use protection and get tested. This is important because a person can have a sexually transmitted disease without knowing it.
National Autism Awareness Month
April is Autism Awareness Month. The aim of this month is educate the public about autism. Autism is a complex mental condition and developmental disability, characterized by difficulties in the way a person communicates and interacts with other people. Autism can be be present from birth or form during early childhood (typically within the first three years). Autism is a lifelong developmental disability with no single known cause.
National Child Abuse Prevention Month
April was first declared Child Abuse Prevention Month by presidential proclamation in 1983. National Child Abuse Prevention Month is a time to acknowledge the importance of families and communities working together to prevent child abuse and neglect, and to promote the social and emotional well-being of children and families. During the month of April and throughout the year, communities are encouraged to share child abuse and neglect prevention awareness strategies and activities and promote prevention across the country.
Alcohol Awareness Month
Drinking too much alcohol increases people’s risk of injuries, violence, drowning, liver disease, and some types of cancer. The good news? We can all do our part to prevent alcohol misuse or abuse. Each April since 1987, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD) sponsors NCADD Alcohol Awareness Month to increase public awareness and understanding, reduce stigma and encourage local communities to focus on alcoholism and alcohol-related issues and to raise awareness about alcohol abuse and take action to prevent it, both at home and in the community.
April is Autism Awareness Month
President Barack Obama issued a White House proclamation recognizing World Autism Awareness Day declaring that “everyone deserves a fair shot at opportunity” and celebrating the work of advocates, professionals, family members, and all who work to build brighter tomorrows alongside those with autism. The President highlighted the signing of the Autism CARES Act, which dedicates $1.3 billion in federal funding for autism over the next five years and the ongoing BRAIN initiative to revolutionize our understanding of conditions like autism and improve the lives of all who live with them.”