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.