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World AIDS Day, 2006
More than 40 million people are living with HIV worldwide, with young people in particular at risk. In the United States alone more than 1 million Americans are living with HIV - and one in four of them do not know it. The National Institute on Drug Abuse supports research to learn more about the pivotal role of drug abuse in the spread of HIV/AIDS and to develop effective strategies to prevent and treat this disease. It is well known that injection drug use leads to the spread of AIDs. It is less well known that risky sexual behavior is the leading cause of HIV/AIDs spread among young people. Drug and alcohol intoxication affect judgment and can lead to these risky sexual behaviors that put people in danger of contracting or transmitting HIV. In addition, substance abuse may facilitate the progression of HIV infections by further compromising the immune system. NIDA has established that drug abuse treatment is HIV prevention. We want the world to "Learn the Link" between risky sexual behavior and HIV/AIDS.
To commemorate World Aids Day 2006, NIDA has sponsored continual play of our "Learn the Link" Public Service Announcement on the CBS Jumbotron screen in Times Square, New York City. There, more than 21 million people will see the powerful Learn the Link message as it runs twice an hour for two weeks over the holiday season. Our public service announcements about the deadly link between Drug Abuse and HIV continue to air on television stations nationwide. For information about this campaign, go to hiv.drugabuse.gov. In addition, we will continue our tradition of displaying a portion of the AIDS quilt in the lobby of our National Science Center in Bethesda, Maryland, to honor those who have died from this terrible disease, and to remind our own staff of the importance of continuing research into the factors that contribute to HIV and AIDS.
Sincerely,
Nora D. Volkow, M.D.
Director
For more information on HIV/AIDS and Drug Abuse:
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About NIDA Contents
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Dr. Nora D. Volkow
NIDA Director
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