BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

More than three decades ago, the first known cases of HIV/AIDS sparked an epidemic in the United States — ushering in a time defined by how little we knew about it and in which those affected by it faced fear and stigmatization.  We have made extraordinary progress in the fight against HIV since that time, but much work remains to be done.  On World AIDS Day, we remember those who we have lost to HIV/AIDS, celebrate the triumphs earned through the efforts of scores of advocates and providers, pledge our support for those at risk for or living with HIV, and rededicate our talents and efforts to achieving our goal of an AIDS-free generation.

Today, more people are receiving life-saving treatment for HIV than ever before, and millions of HIV infections have been prevented.  Still, more than 36 million people around the world live with HIV — including nearly 3 million children.  My Administration is committed to ending the spread of HIV and improving the lives of all who live with it.  In the United States, the Affordable Care Act has allowed more people to access coverage for preventive services like HIV testing, and new health plans are now required to offer HIV screening with no cost sharing.  Insurance companies can no longer discriminate against individuals living with HIV/AIDS or any other pre-existing condition.  Additionally, this year marks the 25th anniversary of the Ryan White CARE Act, which established the Ryan White Program — a program that helps provide needed care to the most vulnerable individuals and touches over half of all people living with HIV in America.

To further our fight to end the HIV epidemic, my Administration released our country’s first comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy in 2010.  The Strategy provided a clear framework for changing the way we talk about HIV, and it offered a critical roadmap that prioritizes our Nation’s response to this epidemic and organizes the ways we deliver HIV services.  Earlier this year, I signed an Executive Order to update the Strategy through 2020, focusing on expanding HIV testing and care, widening support for those living with HIV to stay in comprehensive care, promoting universal viral suppression among individuals infected with HIV, and increasing access to preventive measures, including pre-exposure prophylaxis for people at substantial risk of acquiring HIV.

Additionally, the primary aims of the Strategy include reducing HIV-related disparities and health inequities, because HIV still affects specific populations disproportionately across our country.  Certain individuals — including gay and bisexual men, Black women and men, Latinos and Latinas, people who inject drugs, transgender women, young people, and people in the Southern United States — are at greater risk for HIV, and we must target our efforts to reduce HIV-related health disparities and focus increased attention on highly vulnerable populations.  My most recent Federal budget proposal includes more than $31 billion in funding for HIV/AIDS treatment, care, prevention, and research.  We are also making great progress toward achieving a greater viral suppression rate among those diagnosed with HIV, and in the last 5 years, we have made critical funding increases to ensure more Americans have access to life-saving treatment.

We cannot achieve an AIDS-free generation without addressing the pervasive presence of HIV throughout the world, which is why our Nation is committed to achieving the goals laid out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to reach more people living with HIV, promote global health, and end the AIDS epidemic.  The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has helped save lives across the globe and has made significant impacts on the number of new HIV infections by strengthening international partnerships and expanding essential services for preventing and treating HIV.  This year, I announced new targets for PEPFAR that aim to provide almost 13 million people with life-saving treatment by the end of 2017. The United States is also committing resources to support PEPFAR’s work to achieve a 40 percent decrease in HIV incidence among young women and girls in the most vulnerable areas of sub-Saharan Africa.  This is a shared responsibility, and America will remain a leader in the effort to end HIV/AIDS while continuing to work with the international community to address this challenge and secure a healthier future for all people.

Working with private industry, faith communities, philanthropic organizations, the scientific and medical communities, networks of people living with HIV and affected populations, and governments worldwide, we can accomplish our goals of reducing new HIV infections, increasing access to care, improving health outcomes for patients, reducing HIV-related disparities, and building a cohesive, coordinated response to HIV.  On this day, let us pay tribute to those whom HIV/AIDS took from us too soon, and let us recognize those who continue to fight for a world free from AIDS.  Let us also recognize researchers, providers, and advocates, who work each day on behalf of people living with HIV, and in honor of the precious lives we have lost to HIV.  Together, we can forge a future in which no person — here in America or anywhere in our world — knows the pain or stigma caused by HIV/AIDS.

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, 2015, as World AIDS Day.  I urge the Governors of the States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, officials of the other territories subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, and the American people to join me in appropriate activities to remember those who have lost their lives to AIDS and to provide support and compassion to those living with HIV.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand fifteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fortieth.

BARACK OBAMA

Dr. Shannon Hader, Director, Division of Global HIV & TB, CDC

On World AIDS Day, we remember the millions who have died before their times; we celebrate the remarkable scientific achievements that have given us tools to fight back and to envision a brighter future; and we recommit to taking the next actions needed to bring about the end to HIV as a public health threat.

At this time—nearly 35 years into the epidemic—we have more tools and knowledge than ever before to fight HIV. Maximizing these tools requires working together to confront and overcome the challenges that remain. With the global population of young people expected to dramatically increase over the next five years, we must also step up efforts to help both young men and young women stay HIV-free, especially in the developing world.

On this World AIDS Day, CDC stands with our U.S. government colleagues and partners around the world in affirming our collective resolve to meet the ambitious but achievable goal of ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2030. The path forward is clearer than ever, and the time to act is now.

Read more about CDC’s global HIV and World AIDS Day efforts, here.

On the first World AIDS Day in 1988, people living with HIV/AIDS faced an uncertain future.

On average, those with AIDS lived only 19 to 30 months after their diagnosis. They had very few treatment options. And in the United States, many couldn’t get the medical care they needed because insurance companies could deny them coverage due to their “pre-existing condition.”

Today, we have a lot of progress to celebrate. On the 28^th World AIDS Day, someone diagnosed with HIV soon after infection who gets appropriate care and consistent treatment can expect to live a nearly normal lifespan. Treatment can even reduce the risk of transmitting the virus by up to 96 percent. And no American can be denied health coverage because of a pre-existing condition.

We have even more work to do, though, and that’s why our theme for World AIDS Day 2015 is The Time to Act is Now.

As we push forward the frontiers of medicine, we’ve discovered new prevention options. If you are at risk for acquiring HIV, you can talk to a healthcare professional about taking pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, a daily pill that dramatically lowers the possibility of infection. And there are even more breakthroughs on the way. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health, together with private-sector partners, are building new tools that will help us prevent and treat HIV even better in the future.

But these breakthroughs in prevention and treatment can only save the lives of people who can access them. That’s why the Affordable Care Act is so important. Since provisions of the law have taken effect, an estimated 17.6 million Americans have found health coverage, helping us reach the lowest levels of uninsured in our nation’s history. The law has made health coverage more affordable for families and for taxpayers. And families across our country, including families with a loved one living with HIV/AIDS, can rest a little easier knowing that they can’t be dropped from their health coverage because they get sick or discriminated against if they have a pre-existing condition.

If you or a loved one lives with HIV and needs health coverage, now is the time to get covered. The Health Insurance Marketplace is open for business!

Visit HealthCare.gov, call 1-800-318-2596 for 24/7 confidential assistance in English or Spanish, or find help in your community at LocalHelp.HealthCare.gov to learn about your options. People are available to help, whether in person or over the phone.

Open Enrollment runs until the end of January, but if you need coverage that starts January 1^st, you need to sign up by December 15^th.

This World AIDS Day, let’s reflect on the many people we’ve lost to HIV/AIDS and the many lives we can save in the years to come. We’re making strides toward an AIDS-free generation with our National HIV/AIDS Strategy: Updated to 2020, and a new Federal Action Plan that will guide our efforts across the federal government.

But we can’t do this alone. We need everyone to be involved. That starts with you.

Do you know your HIV status? If you don’t, please get tested. You can use AIDS.gov’s HIV Testing Sites & Care Services Locator. And thanks to the Affordable Care Act, most healthcare plans offer HIV testing without any co-pay or deductible.

If you are living with the virus, health insurance can help you get the right treatment. And if you’re shopping for coverage, you can check health plans for their specific coverage, like prescriptions, that can affect your costs and your care. For more information on your options for health coverage, visit HealthCare.gov.

Over the course of these 28 World AIDS Days, we’ve made some great strides. With your help, we can keep up the pace toward a generation that’s truly AIDS-free.

Today, AIDS.gov offers 10 tips to support your involvement in World AIDS Day 2015. We hope these images provide you with resources and ideas that inspire you to act.

Be a part of the global commitment to end HIV. Check out our World AIDS Day Awareness Day page for these tips and more digital resources. Join the #WAD2015 conversation with us via Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , Pinterest , and You Tube .

Get #WAD2015 Tip 1-5 here:

Tip #6: Share your ‪#‎HIV‬ experience using ‪#MyPositiveSpin‬

Tip # 7: Thank you on World AIDS Day and everyday for your commitment to the ‪#‎HIV‬ community.

Tip # 8: The AIDS.gov Locator find ‪#‎HIV‬ testing, treatment and care services near you.

http://1.usa.gov/1JU5CDk

Tip # 9: Learn about prevention, testing and, living healthy with HIV. ‪

http://1.usa.gov/1FMpEe4

Tip # 10: Let’s ‪#‎StopHIVTogether ‬: http://1.usa.gov/1HyXkCA ‪

Get the tips and more on AIDS.gov’s World AIDS Day graphics page. Share them and join the conversation using  #WAD2015 .

December 1 marks World AIDS Day, and even though we’ve been fighting HIV and AIDS for more than 30 years, it’s fitting that this year’s theme is “The Time to Act is Now.”

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is committed to high-quality health care for every American. In August, the United States marked the 25th anniversary of the passage of the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, a ground-breaking and historic comprehensive federal response to the devastation caused by AIDS.

Before large-scale federal action, AIDS brought about unique partnerships among those stricken with or at risk for the disease and the health care professionals who cared for them. Eventually, those partnerships expanded to include a wide coalition determined to do right by the people of the United States by passing the CARE Act – now called the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program.

In directing the program’s administration to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the legislation made the agency partner with patients, with their families, with the health care professionals who treat them, and with thousands of people in state and local governments who run or oversee HIV care and treatment programs.

Through the years, the success of the work of HRSA’s HIV and AIDS efforts multiplied as together with others, we:

• Improved the ability to get people living with HIV into care as soon as possible – and today the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program touches over half of all people living with HIV in the U.S.  In addition, our primary care programs, including community health centers, have reported a 53% increase since 2010 in the patients they serve living with HIV;

• Increased testing efforts – in 2014, health centers provided HIV testing to nearly 1.2 million patients – a 48% increase since 2010;

• Succeeded in stopping transmission of the virus from the majority of mothers to newborns; and

• Worked to make sure that treatment followed the epidemic to minority communities, most-at-risk populations and women.

Perhaps most importantly, the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program helped improve the overall quality of HIV care and pioneered new approaches, some of which became new standards for care.  In addition, the program contributed to the foundation in the global fight for HIV/AIDS – the historic launch of the U.S. Government’s President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2003. PEPFAR built upon the expertise of domestic programs to help people throughout Africa, Asia and the Caribbean, as they struggled with high rates of HIV transmission and limited access to treatment.

In the decade that followed PEPFAR’s passage, we have – together with partners on the ground in the affected nations – helped stand up public health systems that bring prevention, care and treatment to millions of  people in need.

For example, in Malawi, through the Nursing Education Partnership Initiative (NEPI), more than 600 recent nursing graduates have trained in PEPFAR-supported, model hospital wards, where they participate in the initiation of HIV treatment, work directly with women who are HIV-positive, and adapt nursing practices to optimize the day-to-day care of HIV patients.

Through the Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI), a network of over 40 medical schools in Africa and around the world lead the development of evidence-based health workforce education reform in Sub-Saharan Africa. Over the past five years, MEPI has trained more than 5,000 medical faculty to bring best practices and HIV knowledge to curriculum development, pedagogy, and medical research.

And as has been the case in tracking and dealing with HIV in the United States, PEPFAR responds to changes in the spread of the disease.  In Uganda around 2010, for instance, statisticians noted that early successes in reducing the HIV infection rate were slowing. So PEPFAR-supported health care workers modified their strategy to fight HIV.  By focusing on the rapid scale-up of care and treatment with targeted prevention interventions, including voluntary medical male circumcision, Uganda has turned a corner on the rise of new infections.

PEFPAR’s new focus on targeted, rapidly-scaled interventions, like the efforts that led to reversing trends in Uganda, aim to move us toward an AIDS-free generation. The emphasis on heavily impacted areas and priority interventions mirrors changes that administrators of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program have made in the domestic strategy to fight HIV/AIDS.  In the U.S. and abroad, scientists and public health experts are following the impact of the disease and using data to apply the latest science more effectively to combat the virus.

We have a  strong foundation, but we need to build quickly to reverse the epidemic. Implementing the vision of the updated National HIV/AIDS Strategy will make the United States – and the world – a place where new HIV infections are rare and where every person has unfettered access to high-quality, life-extending care, a life of health and dignity free from stigma and discrimination.

“Treatment For All” campaign aims to use the power of social media for global change.

On November 30, 2015, the eve of World AIDS Day, Emmy Award-winning television host Ricki Lake, digital influencers Wesley Stromberg, Sammy Wilkinson, Megan Nicole and Melvin Gregg, the United States Government President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Facebook and various other groups are joining forces with partners around the world to launch #TreatmentForAll, a global movement to help stop the AIDS epidemic by quickly initiating treatment for all people diagnosed with HIV. The movement’s shared goal is to ensure treatment for 28 million people by 2020.

The campaign will begin with the premiere of the first documentary film officially launched on Facebook , during a screening at the Facebook offices in New York City. The film will honor the 23 million people around the world who need treatment for HIV. To create the documentary, Lake and the four social influencers traveled to Malawi to talk to patients affected by HIV/AIDS in an effort to show the “faces” of those fighting this disease. The interviews are honest and raw, capturing first-hand the realities of people suffering from AIDS worldwide. The documentary also features interviews with U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, Ambassador Deborah L. Birx, and President Bill Clinton.

The documentary will be available on the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General Ray Chambers’ Facebook page. Following the documentary’s premiere, this group of social media stars along with digital stars from The Influential Network, will engage their combined digital following of more than 40 million people around the world by sharing the film and launching the #TreatmentForAll campaign— calling on the world to prioritize and fast-track treatment; calling on countries to adopt key policy changes and provide high-quality implementation to support the collective vision of treatment for all.

“We have the tools and resources to bring an end to the HIV/AIDS epidemic now. We must seize this moment and act with deliberate haste to reduce the spread of the virus and treat all those living with HIV and AIDS,” said Ray Chambers, UN Assistant Secretary-General and the Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Malaria. “I thank all of our partners including the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, the World Health Organization, UNAIDS, and the Clinton Health Access Initiative for prioritizing treatment to achieve the collective goal of seeing a world free of HIV. We will not rest until the job is done.”

To help continue the momentum at this critical crossroads in the HIV/AIDS response, #TreatmentForAll will be one of the first movements to join Facebook’s internal social good initiative, Global Causes. Global Causes is a Facebook-wide program with an array of social good activities that will culminate in April 2016. This will be an opportunity for people to connect with each other over causes they care about, volunteer in local communities and educate and train nonprofits on how to use the Facebook platform and solutions most effectively.

“It is a complete honor and privilege to be a part of this unique campaign to spread the importance of #TreatmentForAll” and to introduce the world to a place that is so near and dear to my heart, The Jacaranda School in Malawi” said Ricki Lake. “Through our mission, our social media influencers and I get to use each of our platforms to educate and hopefully change the landscape of HIV/AIDS globally.  This has been a life-changing experience for all of us, one we will never forget, and one we will stay with until the job is done.”

“Imagine the moment when we have all the tools that we need to reduce new HIV infections by 90 percent to save millions of lives,” said Ambassador Deborah L. Birx of PEPFAR. “That moment has arrived and the time to act is now. #TreatmentForAll will help change the conversation about what is perceived as possible, raising public awareness and catalyzing change around the world.”

“If you want to save lives and stop an epidemic that has claimed the lives of tens of millions of people, treatment is the best prevention,” said President Bill Clinton. “Now we’re on the verge, for the first time ever… of being able to have one pill to treat people with HIV and AIDS that costs less than $100. It’s never happened. Once that does happen, the money that has already been appropriated will go exponentially further.”

The inspiration for #TreatmentForAll came in response to the recent World Health Organization (WHO) landmark HIV treatment guidelines which for the first time called for anyone infected with HIV to be treated immediately.  According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), nearly 37 million people are currently HIV-positive, and of those only 15.8 million are currently on treatment. Treating all is key to ending the epidemic, and can be done with a more efficient use of existing resources and critical policy changes in high HIV burden countries. Together, by prioritizing and fast-tracking treatment, the world can collectively aim to support the shared vision of 28 million men, women and children on treatment by 2020—nearly twice as many as today. According to projections, this would reduce the number of AIDS deaths and infections by nearly 50 percent.

#TreatmentForAll builds on the incredible momentum around treatment expansion in recent months and days. The Clinton Health Access Initiative , UNAIDS , and UNITAID  are announcing new agreements with manufacturers that could increase access to more sustainable HIV drug regimens at reduced prices, pending regulatory approval, including one regimen that will be less than $100 per patient per year. The World Health Organization is building on the landmark HIV treatment guidelines that it announced this September, with further guidelines that increase our ability to reach treatment for all. PEPFAR is announcing on World AIDS Day its 2015 treatment results, an increase from 2014 and well on its way to meet the treatment target President Obama announced in September to support nearly 13 million people on treatment by the end of 2017.  PEPFAR will continue to pivot its resources and HIV/AIDS services to the geographic areas and populations with the highest HIV/AIDS burden, to ensure maximal impact of every dollar invested. PEPFAR is committing to increase its investment even more, from within its existing resources in the PEPFAR Impact Fund announced as part of the FY 2016 President’s Budget, to affected countries that increase their own investment and adopt key policy changes that result in greater impact.

Treatment for all is key to ending the epidemic. Thanks to these recent announcements and the continued efforts of many partners, what once seemed unimaginable is now possible and, can be done with the more efficient use of existing resources and critical policy changes.

When the first cases of what would become known as AIDS were reported in 1981, scientists and physicians did not know the cause and had no therapies to treat those who were infected. Times have changed and today physicians can offer their patients highly effective medicines that work as both treatment and prevention. We can now speak credibly about having within our sights the end to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, when new HIV infections and deaths due to AIDS are rare.

Ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic as we know it will require using antiretroviral therapy (ART) to treat all infected people upon diagnosis, facilitating the implementation of an array of prevention tools including pre-exposure prophylaxis, and eliminating mother-to-child HIV transmission. While recent scientific advances demonstrate these objectives are all possible, we must encourage universal HIV testing so that people know their status and are linked to care if infected and linked to a prevention program if at risk of infection. Approximately 50,000 people in the United States are newly infected with HIV each year, and about 1 in 8 of the 1.2 million who currently are infected do not know their status. Tragically, nearly a third of all new HIV infections in this country are transmitted by people who are unaware of their infection; another 60 percent of infections arise from people who are diagnosed but not in care.

We need to intensify our efforts to connect infected and at-risk people with needed health services to treat or prevent HIV infection. If all people infected with HIV were made aware of their status and began receiving consistent treatment and medical care, most new infections in the United States could be prevented. Additionally, connecting people to the “prevention continuum,” in which people at high-risk for HIV infection are regularly tested, counseled and provided a variety of prevention options, could reduce the spread of the virus even further.

Research supported by the National Institutes of Health has provided solid scientific data showing that once an HIV-infected person has been diagnosed and connected with medical care, immediate antiretroviral therapy should be initiated. Taken together, the findings from the NIH-funded SMART study reported in 2006, the HPTN 052 study in 2011 and the START study earlier this year conclusively demonstrate that starting ART promptly after HIV diagnosis protects the health of the infected person while preventing HIV transmission to uninfected sexual partners.

NIH continues to investigate the best methods of connecting high-risk people with comprehensive prevention packages containing highly effective tools such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The HPTN 067 and PrEP Demo studies also show that people can follow the recommended daily PrEP dosing regimen routinely, further validating PrEP as a practical component in achieving widespread HIV prevention alongside condom use, testing and treatment for other sexually transmitted diseases, behavior change and needle exchange.

While increased HIV testing and immediate treatment or connection to prevention strategies can substantially decrease new HIV infections and HIV-related illness and deaths, developing a safe and effective HIV vaccine or cure would accelerate a durable end to the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. Earlier this year, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and its collaborators launched HVTN 100, a clinical trial in South Africa that is testing an investigational HIV vaccine regimen based upon the findings of the RV144 trial, conducted in Thailand, which demonstrated a modest degree of success. The HVTN 100 vaccine regimen was designed to increase the magnitude and duration of vaccine-elicited immune responses observed in the RV144 trial, and is the first of several additional planned vaccine trials and research studies that will begin in the coming years.

Scientists at NIH continue to learn more about the virus as we work to find a cure. For example, studies are underway to boost the immune response of HIV-infected people whose viral load has been suppressed by ART using passive transfer of broadly neutralizing antibodies as well as therapeutic vaccinations to determine if it is possible to withdraw ART without viral rebound.

On this World AIDS Day, there is considerable optimism that an end to the HIV/AIDS pandemic is achievable. However, to do this, we must have the will to apply established scientific findings and continue to follow the science. We must build on the promising achievements made through the dedication of researchers, health care professionals and clinical trial participants, and continue to work together to fill the gaps that remain.

Media inquiries can be directed to the NIAID Office of Communications at 301-402-1663, niaidnews@niaid.nih.gov.

Today, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) released its 2015 World AIDS Day report , in advance of December 1. The report finds that 15.8 million people were accessing antiretroviral treatment (ART) as of June 2015. This is an extraordinary achievement–more than doubling the number of people that were on treatment just five years ago.

Over the past 15 years, working together, we have made tremendous progress in the HIV/AIDS response. Globally, since 2000, new HIV infections are down by 35 percent, including 58 percent among children. AIDS-related deaths have declined by 42 percent since their peak in 2004. And, last year, 73 percent of pregnant women living with HIV had access to antiretroviral treatment for their own health and to prevent transmission to their child.

Yet, our work is far from done. With a “business as usual” approach, we risk a cumulative 100 million HIV infections by 2030. Stigma and discrimination remain significant barriers to achieving our goals. When any member of a community is stigmatized or discriminated against in accessing HIV/AIDS services, the health and human dignity of everyone in that community are threatened. It is just that simple.

UNAIDS has demonstrated that we have a five-year window of opportunity to change the trajectory of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The UNAIDS Fast-Track approach set ambitious targets for countries to reach by 2020. If we reach these targets, through a data-driven approach focused on geographic areas and populations with the greatest burden, we can avert 21 million AIDS-related deaths and 28 million new HIV infections by 2030. The stakes could not be higher. The time to act is now.

This September, the global community unanimously committed to a target of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030, in adopting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. President Obama has set a bold course by announcing that, through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the U.S. government will support 12.9 million people with life-saving antiretroviral treatment, 13 million men with male circumcision, and reduce new HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women by 40 percent in the hardest hit areas of 10 high-burden countries sub-Saharan African countries by the end of 2017. And the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued landmark HIV treatment guidelines , which state that anyone infected with HIV should be treated immediately.

We have everything we need–the tools, science, and shared vision–to eliminate HIV as a public health threat once and for all. UNAIDS once again reminds us of exactly what is needed to fulfill this promise. Once we could only dream of creating an AIDS-free generation. That future is now possible. Now is the time to seize the opportunity to reach it.

As the nation reflects on the things for which we are thankful, the AIDS.gov team would like to express gratitude to all our readers for following this blog. We appreciate your support for our work, and we look forward to continuing to support your efforts to use digital tools. In addition, we encourage you to use those tools safely and in the appropriate situations.

Our friends at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) have some helpful hints on that subject. DOT reminds drivers that Thanksgiving weekend is one of the most heavily traveled holidays, and stresses the importance of wearing your seatbelt and ensuring that all of your passengers are wearing their seatbelts. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nearly half of those killed in auto accidents in 2013 were not wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash. So buckle up and drive safely!

Driving safely also means observing the speed limit, signaling when changing lanes, and, we would add, never using handheld devices while driving.

Commit to driving safely and to putting away your devices when driving because one text or call could wreck it all.

Yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its 2015 HIV Vital Signs focusing on preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP). This Vital Signs includes two Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWR), one from CDC and one from New York State Department of Health:

Vital Signs: Estimated Percentages and Numbers of Adults with Indications for Preexposure Prophylaxis to Prevent HIV Acquisition — United States, 2015

Vital Signs: Increased Medicaid Prescriptions for Preexposure Prophylaxis Against HIV Infection — New York, 2012–2015

The report highlights PrEP as an essential component in accelerating progress in HIV prevention. A fact sheet, Daily Pill Can Prevent HIV: Reaching people who could benefit from PrEP, also released yesterday, provides easy access to basic information.

The CDC MMWR estimates the proportion of Americans who are at substantial risk of HIV and should be counseled about PrEP. These include about 25 percent of sexually active gay and bisexual adult men, nearly 20 percent of adults who inject drugs, and less than 1 percent of heterosexually active adults. The report notes that more providers should be aware of PrEP, citing a study that reveals that one-third of primary health care providers had never heard of PrEP.

The New York State Department of Health MMWR suggests that focused efforts can substantially expand the reach of PrEP. Researchers report that PrEP use among New Yorkers covered by Medicaid increased in the year following the launch of a statewide effort that included training providers, raising awareness, and ensuring Medicaid coverage.

PrEP is a powerful prevention tool with the potential to benefit Americans who are most at risk for acquiring HIV. But it is not the only option. Additional high-impact HIV prevention strategies include antiretroviral treatment for people living with HIV; correct and consistent use of condoms; interventions to engage and retain people in care and reduce risk behaviors; and access to drug treatment programs and sterile injection equipment for people who inject drugs. With about 40,000 HIV infections diagnosed every year, we must make the most of all available HIV prevention opportunities for those most at risk.

To accomplish these objectives, we need collaborative action. Providers play a central role in increasing awareness and uptake of PrEP. They can discuss risk and prevention options with their patients, and follow the 2014 US Public Health Service Clinical Practice Guidelines to prescribe PrEP to patients who can benefit from it. Medical and professional associations can also help educate providers and share lessons learned from PrEP implementation efforts. State and local health departments and community-based organizations can integrate PrEP education into their programs.

We encourage you to visit the Vital Signs web site, download materials, and share them with your colleagues.