[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 125 (Wednesday, June 30, 2004)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 39311-39312]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-15029]


 
 
                         Presidential Documents 
 
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 125 / Wednesday, June 30, 2004 / 
Presidential Documents  

 ___________________________________________________________________

 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 39311]]

                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

[[Page 39312]]

                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

[FR Doc. 04-15029
Filed 6-29-04; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P