WHEREAS, started in 1988 and recognized annually on December 1st, World AIDS Day is a global event to remember those who have lost their lives to AIDS, and to honor and support those living with and affected by HIV; and

WHEREAS, the theme for the 2023 observance, marking forty-two years since the HIV/AIDS epidemic began, is “Let Communities Lead,” which recognizes that organizations of communities living with, at risk of, or affected by HIV are the frontline of progress in the HIV response; and

WHEREAS, in the United States, more than 1.2 million people are living with HIV today, including about 1,766 people here in Maine, and approximately 39 million people are living with the disease worldwide; and

WHEREAS, over the last three decades, HIV treatments have advanced to the extent that ongoing adherence suppresses HIV viral load thus preventing HIV transmission, or 'Undetectable = Untransmittable'; and

WHEREAS, because of antiretroviral treatments such as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), we have the comprehensive tools to prevent new HIV infections; and

WHEREAS, the development of programs including the Ryan White CARE Act and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) have greatly contributed to sustained health for those impacted by HIV/AIDS; and

WHEREAS, the State of Maine recognizes the essential role of the networks of individuals living with and affected by HIV, community health workers, health care providers, organizations, and the advocates who continue to fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic; and

NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved that I, Janet T. Mills, Governor of the State of Maine, do hereby proclaim December 1st, 2023 as

World AIDS Day

throughout the State of Maine, and I encourage all citizens to take part in activities and observances designed to increase awareness and understanding of HIV/AIDS as a global challenge and to join the global effort to prevent the further spread of HIV/AIDS.

In testimony whereof, I have caused the Great Seal of the State to be hereunto affixed GIVEN under my hand at Augusta this twentieth day of November Two Thousand Twenty-Three