HIV Vaccine
Awareness Day set for May 18

The eighth annual HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, which aims to educate people about the need for a preventative HIV vaccine and to salute researchers in vaccine development, is set for May 18. The theme for this year's commemoration is "Hope for the Future." People worldwide are asked to wear their red AIDS awareness ribbons upside down to form a "V" for vaccines. "Prevention efforts have reduced the number of HIV infections in certain countries worldwide, and advances in HIV therapy have improved and extended the lives of many people living with HIV/AIDS," said Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, in a press statement. "However, existing prevention approaches and treatment are only part of the solution; a preventive HIV vaccine will be an essential tool in a comprehensive approach to ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic." For more information about HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, call (800) HIV-0440 or go online to www.aidsinfo.nih.gov.