HomeMy WebLinkAboutPRO-2026-014-Youth HIV AIDS Awareness Day Proclamation 10
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ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Proclamation
WHEREAS , " National Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day" is a nationwide observance that calls
on people to take action to invest in the health , education , and leadership of young people ; and
WHEREAS , more than 40 years into the epidemic , the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention estimates that in the United States , more than 1 . 2 million people are living with HIV,
and 31 , 800 people were diagnosed with HIV in the United States in 2022 ; and
WHEREAS , in 2022 , youth aged 13 to 24 years composed 20 percent of all new HIV diagnoses
in the United States ; and
WHEREAS , young people living with HIV are the least likely of any age group to be retained in
care and have a suppressed viral load ; and
WHEREAS , the majority of young people living with HIV ages 13 to 24 are unaware of their HIV
status ; and
WHEREAS , African -American youth are most impacted by the epidemic , representing a majority
of new transmissions in young people ages 13 to 24 , with young African -American gay and
bisexual men even more severely affected ; and
WHEREAS , young gay and bisexual men accounted for the majority of all new HIV diagnoses
in people aged 13 to 24 in 2022 ; and
WHEREAS , the Nation 's largest Federal program dedicated to providing care and treatment for
people living with HIV was named after Ryan White , a teenager from Indiana who helped
educate the Nation about HIV and AIDS in the 1980s ; and
WHEREAS , the National HIV/AIDS Strategy highlights the fact that young people often
experience worse HIV outcomes on status awareness , pre-exposure prophylaxis uptake , and
health outcomes ; and
WHEREAS , the National HIV/AIDS Strategy recommends children and young adults who are
living with HIV need tailored and often more intensive medical and support services to support
them as they grow and become young adults ;
NOW THEREFORE , we , the Orange County Board of Commissioners , do hereby proclaim April
10 , 2026 as Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day in Orange County, recognizing young people ' s right
to education , prevention , treatment , and care , and to live without criminalization , discrimination ,
oppression , and stigma .
This the 7th day of April , 2026 .
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can Hamilton , Chair
Orange County Board of Commissioners
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