National HIV Testing Day, 2004

Proclamation 7799 of June 26, 2004

National HIV Testing Day, 2004

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Every day, 8,000 lives are lost in the global AIDS
pandemic. In our country, nearly 1 million people are
infected with HIV, and approximately 40,000 more
contract it each year. National HIV Testing Day is an
opportunity for Americans to increase their awareness
of this terrible disease and to get tested for HIV/
AIDS. By working together to end this pandemic, our
Nation's citizens contribute to a brighter future for
themselves and for people around the world.

New drugs and new treatments are bringing hope and
enhancing the quality of life for those who are
affected by HIV/AIDS. However, these advances can only
help individuals if they know their HIV status. The
National HIV Testing Day theme, ``It's better to
know,'' highlights the importance of education in
helping people make healthy decisions about preventing
and treating HIV/AIDS. Approximately one-quarter of
people who are HIV positive do not know that they are
carriers. Without knowing their status, they cannot get
the treatment they need and may unknowingly spread new
infections. Today, testing is easier than ever. It is
imperative that those at risk for HIV/AIDS get tested.

To reach out to HIV/AIDS sufferers in need, I recently
announced $20 million in immediate new funding to
deliver lifesaving drugs to Americans who are awaiting
them. I have proposed in my 2005 budget to spend more
than $17 billion here at home to expand prevention
efforts such as regular testing and abstinence
education, care and treatment, and research efforts to
combat HIV/AIDS. In addition, this budget proposal
doubles funding for abstinence-only programs, because
abstinence is the only sure way to avoid sexually
transmitted diseases. My Administration is working
through the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention's Advancing HIV Prevention initiative to
encourage routine testing as a normal part of health
care. At-risk individuals who make the decision to get
tested are taking a step toward saving their own lives
and the lives of others.

My Administration is also fully engaged in the global
fight against HIV/AIDS. I have proposed a record $15
billion over 5 years to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS
around the world, with a focus on some of the hardest-
hit countries of Africa, the Caribbean, and Asia. This
money will be used to prevent 7 million new infections,
treat 2 million HIV-infected people with life-extending
drugs, and care for 10 million individuals impacted by
this disease, including orphans.

And, working with international partners, we will
support intensified research to create a vaccine and
find a cure. While AIDS remains a source of great
suffering for many individuals, worldwide efforts are
bringing us closer to the day when AIDS will be
defeated.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United
States, do hereby proclaim June 27, 2004, as National
HIV Testing Day. I encourage the American people to
support the battle against HIV/AIDS. I also urge those
at risk to get tested for the disease

and to learn more about how to end this health threat
in America and around the world.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-sixth day of June, in the year of our Lord two
thousand four, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and twenty-eighth.

(Presidential Sig.)B