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Taking Charge of the HIV Epidemic: National HIV Testing Day Webcast
The statistics are staggering: every nine and a half minutes, someone in the United States is infected with HIV. Yet, around 1 in 5 don't know they have the virus and are unknowingly spreading it to others. More than ever, aggressive outreach and testing are needed to reduce incidence of new HIV infections.
What:
Learn more about the continuing HIV epidemic as well as current and upcoming HIV testing technologies from an expert panel that will discuss these topics and take your questions via a Webcast sponsored jointly by the Forum for Collaborative HIV Research and Abbott.
When:
Friday, June 18 at 11:00am-12:00pm ET in advance of National HIV Testing Day
Who:
- Dr. Bernard Branson, M.D., Associate Director for Laboratory Diagnostics in the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention at the CDC
- Brad Ogilivie, M.S., in counseling psychology, Program Coordinator for William Penn House and Founder of the Mosaic Initiative, living with HIV for more than 20 years
- Dr. Gerald Shochetman, Ph.D., Senior Director, Infectious Disease Diagnostics Research and Development, Abbott
- Moderator: Dr. Veronica Miller, Ph.D. Executive Director, Forum for Collaborative HIV Research
Why:
National HIV Testing Day is Sunday, June 27.
Did you know:
- Despite several advances in HIV testing since the first test to detect HIV was introduced a quarter-century ago, the virus continues to spread. In fact, since the disease was first recognized in 1981, more than 25 million people have died from AIDS worldwide. That exceeds the number of soldiers killed in battle during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War combined.
- More than 50,000 people in the U.S. are newly infected with HIV each year and up to 70 percent of sexual transmissions of HIV are estimated to occur from people unaware of their HIV status.
- According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than one million people in the U.S. have HIV, and African Americans, gay and bisexual men of all races, and Latinos continue to be disproportionately affected.
How:
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View the archived webcast by clicking here
For more information:
- Darcy Ross, (847) 937-3655, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
- Benjamin Hauschild, MPH, (202) 994-3675, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
About the Forum for Collaborative HIV Research
The Forum for Collaborative HIV Research is an independent public-private partnership whose mission is to facilitate discussion on emerging issues in HIV clinical research and the transfer of research results into care. It is comprised of international experts from government agencies, pharmaceutical companies, academia, advocacy and community organizations, and private foundations. www.hivforum.org
About Abbott
Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The company employs approximately 83,000 people and markets its products in more than 130 countries. Abbott's news releases and other information are available on the company's Web site at www.abbott.com.
