[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 27 (Monday, July 5, 2004)]
[Pages 1168-1169]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7799--National HIV Testing Day, 2004

 June 26, 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.

[[Page 1169]]

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.
                                                George W. Bush

 [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., June 29, 
2004]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on June 
30.