Eight days are set aside to bring those effected by HIV together and raise awareness of HIV-related issues.
There are eight days designated to raise awareness around HIV-related issues. You can visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Minority Health site www.omhrc.gov to link through to contact a specialist about scheduled events or how to get involved in your community.
* February 7: National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day coincides annually with Black History Month.
* March 10: This will be only the second National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day to be observed.
* March 21: National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day will have a theme this year of "A Celebration of Life…Protecting Our Future, Protecting Our People!"
* May 18: On this 10th HIV Vaccine Awareness Day individuals are encouraged to wear their AIDS ribbon upside down to symbolize a v for vaccine and the vision of a world without AIDS.
* May 19: National Asian and Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day will highlight that the total of AIDS cases in this population has increased 10% each year this decade.
* June 27: National HIV Testing Day targets the approximate quarter million people who are unaware they carry the virus.
* October 15: National Latino AIDS Awareness Day brings to light that HIV is increasingly affecting Latinos in large numbers.
* December 1: World AIDS Day annually honors individuals who have succumbed to the virus.
