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 2022 observance, marking forty-one years since the HIV/AIDS epidemic began, is “Putting Ourselves to the Test: Achieving Equity to End HIV”; and

WHEREAS, in the United States, more than 1.2 million people are living with HIV today, including 1,600 people here in Maine, and approximately 38 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

WHEREAS, as we have seen global solidarity and shared responsibility with the COVID-19 pandemic, we must also respond globally to end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030;

NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved that I, Janet T. Mills, Governor of the State of Maine, do hereby proclaim December 1st, 2022 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 tenth day of November Two Thousand Twenty-Two