A parent. A friend. A coworker. You likely know someone who has it. HIV/AIDS touches the lives of people across the nation and throughout globe.  In the United States, more than 56,000 people are newly infected each year, and more than 14,000 American lives are claimed annually.

Today is Word AIDS Day, an observance for all of those who have lost their lives to the disease and an opportunity to recommit to the fight for prevention.  World AIDS Day was founded on Dec. 1, 1988, to increase awareness and fight prejudice surrounding HIV/AIDS.

“Great progress has been made, but much is yet to be done” Jeffrey S. Crowley, director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy said at a White House broadcast yesterday afternoon.

The White House announced yesterday that the International AIDS Society will hold the XIX International AIDS Conference in Washington, DC, in 2010. It is first time America housed the conference since 1990.The host city has the highest HIV/AIDS rate in the country, where at least 3 percent of residents are living with HIV and AIDS.

“Our rates are higher than West Africa,” said Shannon Hader of the D.C. HIV/AIDS Administration told USA Today. “They’re on par with Uganda and some parts of Kenya.”

While this epidemic devastates domestically, the Obama administration has made strides toward prevention and access to care. The ban on HIV-positive visitors and immigrants was lifted in November, making it possible to hold the AIDS conference in the US.  The change will become effective in January 2010.

Congress and the President extended the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program, providing thousands of low-income Americans with access to care and treatment in October.  The Affordable Health Care for America Act, which passed the House in November, included provisions for Medicaid coverage for early treatment of HIV. Prevention and early treatment are critical in deterring the fatality rate and spread of the disease.

A $10 million media campaign seeks to refocus attention on the HIV epidemic. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched Act Against AIDS, a five-year program to target different audiences about basic education, awareness needs and risk reduction.