HIV TESTING PROGRAM

Taking an HIV test is the only way for a person to find out whether he or she is infected.
Although the thought of taking an HIV test makes many people nervous, there are
programs that can help them through the process. The Federal government works with
local community organizations to provide and support HIV testing programs and
initiatives.
Testing as Prevention
One of the best ways to control the spread of HIV is to identify people who are infected and get them
into care. So HIV counseling, testing, and referral (CTR) is a critical part of any successful HIV
prevention program. For a list of HIV testing resources, see the National Prevention Information
Network’s (NPIN) HIV/AIDS Counseling, Testing, and Referral (CTR)
World AIDS Day is an opportunity for us to work together to help reduce stigma around
HIV and promote HIV Testing.5 things you can do to respect & protect
1. find out the fact about HIV,and talk to your friend,family and colleagues about
HIV,make sure they know the reality,not the myths
2. know ur HIV status,get tested if you have put yourself at risk
3. using a condom during sex,especially vaginal or anal sex is the best way to protect
you and your partner from HIV
4. if someone tells you they are HIV positive,treat them with respect and don’t tell others
without their agreement
5. wear a red ribbon as a symbol of your support for everyone affected by HIV,and to
raise awareness
What is HIV?
To understand what HIV is, let’s break it down:
H – Human – because this virus can only infect human beings.
I – Immunodeficiency – because the virus creates a weakened immune system by destroying white
blood cells (immune system cells) called T-cells or CD4 cells.
V – Virus – because the organism is a virus and is incapable of reproducing itself without help from
specific cells in the human body.
“Human Immunodeficiency Virus” is a very tiny virus, much like other viruses you may be familiar
with, such as the viruses that cause the “flu” or the common cold. However, HIV is different from
other viruses because the immune system can never fully get rid of it. The virus hides in the immune
system and other cells in the body.
HIV causes significant damage to the immune system, leaving it open to other dangerous infections.
HIV infection can lead to AIDS.
What is AIDS?
To understand what AIDS is, let’s break it down:
A – Acquired – because AIDS is a disease that is not hereditary but develops from contact with, or
infection by, a disease-causing agent (in this case, HIV).
I – Immune – because AIDS affects the body's immune system, which includes all the organs and cells
that work to fight off infection or foreign substances.
D – Deficiency – because HIV makes the immune system unable to function properly.
S – Syndrome – because AIDS is a complex illness with a wide range of complications and symptoms.
“Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome” is the final stage of HIV infection. People at this stage of
HIV disease are vulnerable to opportunistic infections. When someone has one or more specific
infections, certain cancers, or a very low number of T-cells, the person is considered to have AIDS. A
person with AIDS requires medical intervention and treatment to prevent death.
HIV
HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. This is the virus that causes AIDS. HIV is different
from most other viruses because it attacks the immune system. The immune system gives our bodies
the ability to fight infections. HIV finds and destroys a type of white blood cell (T cells or CD4 cells)
that the immune system must have to fight disease.
AIDS
AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection. It can
take years for a person infected with HIV, even without treatment, to reach this stage. Having AIDS
means that the virus has weakened the immune system to the point at which the body has a difficult
time fighting infection. When someone has one or more specific infections, certain cancers, or a very
low number of T cells, he or she is considered to have AIDS.
Brief History of HIV in the United States
HIV was first identified in the United States in 1981 after a number of gay men started getting sick
with a rare type of cancer. It took several years for scientists to develop a test for the virus, to
understand how HIV was transmitted between humans, and to determine what people could do to
protect themselves.
In 2008, CDC adjusted its estimate of new HIV infections because of new technology developed by
the agency. Before this time, CDC estimated there were roughly 40,000 new HIV infections each year
in the United States. New results shows there were dramatic declines in the number of new HIV
infections from a peak of about 130,000 in the mid 1980s to a low of roughly 50,000 in the early
1990s. Results also shows that new infections increased in the late 1990s, followed by a leveling off
since 2000 at about 55,000 per year. In 2006, an estimated 56,300 individuals were infected with HIV.
AIDS cases began to fall dramatically in 1996, when new drugs became available. Today, more people
than ever before are living with HIV/AIDS. CDC estimates that about 1 million people in the United
States are living with HIV or AIDS. About one quarter of these people do not know that they are
infected: not knowing puts them and others at risk.
HIV is transmitted in 3 main ways:
• Having sex (anal, vaginal, or oral) with someone infected with HIV
• Sharing needles and syringes with someone infected with HIV
• Being exposed (fetus or infant) to HIV before or during birth or through breast feeding
Scientists identified a type of chimpanzee in West Africa as the source of HIV infection in
humans. The virus most likely jumped to humans when humans hunted these
chimpanzees for meat and came into contact with their infected blood. Over several
years, the virus slowly spread across Africa and later into other parts of the world.

About the Day

World AIDS Day is observed every year on December 1st. The World Health Organization established
World AIDS Day in 1988. World AIDS Day provides governments, national AIDS programs, faith
organizations, community organizations, and individuals with an opportunity to raise awareness and
focus attention on the global AIDS epidemic.
A PROCLAMATION
Our Nation joins the world in celebrating the extraordinary advancements we have made in the battle
against HIV and AIDS, and remembering those we have lost. Over the past three decades, brave men
and women have fought devastating discrimination, stigma, doubt, and violence as they stood in the
face of this deadly disease. Many of them would not be here today, but for the dedication of other
persons living with HIV, their loved ones and families, community advocates, and members of the
medical profession. On World AIDS Day, we rededicate ourselves to developing a national AIDS
strategy that will establish the priorities necessary to combat this devastating epidemic at home, and to
renewing our leadership role and commitments abroad.
Though we have been witness to incredible progress, our struggle against HIV/AIDS is far from over.
With an infection occurring every nine-and-a-half minutes in America, there are more than one million
individuals estimated to be living with the disease in our country. Of those currently infected, one in
five does not know they have the condition, and the majority of new infections are spread by people
who are unaware of their own status. HIV/AIDS does not discriminate as it infiltrates neighborhoods
and communities. Americans of any gender, age, ethnicity, income, or sexual orientation can and are
contracting the disease.
Globally, there are over 33 million people living with HIV. While millions have died from this disease,
the death rate is slowly declining due, in part, to our Nation's global effort through the President's
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program. However, HIV remains a leading cause of death
worldwide. Women and children around the world are particularly vulnerable due to gender
inequalities, gaps in access to services, and increases in sexual violence. While the statistics are
distressing, new medications and scientific advancements give us reason for hope.
Tackling this disease will take an aggressive, steadfast approach. My Administration is developing a
national HIV/AIDS strategy to bolster our response to the domestic epidemic, and a global health
initiative that will build on PEPFAR's success. We will develop a strategy to reduce HIV incidence,
improve access to care, and help eliminate HIV-related health disparities. We have already ensured
that visitors to our shores living with HIV are not marginalized and discriminated against because of
their HIV status. We have also secured the continuation of critical HIV/AIDS care and treatment
services. Today, we recommit ourselves to building on the accomplishments of the past decades that
have dramatically changed the domestic and global HIV/AIDS landscape.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of
the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim
December 1, 2009, as World AIDS Day. I urge the Governors of the States and the territories subject
to the jurisdiction of the United States, and the American people to join in appropriate activities to
remember those who have lost their lives to AIDS, and to provide support and comfort to those living
with this disease.