Every spring since 2007, Native communities nationwide have celebrated National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. This Saturday, March 20, 2010, marks the fourth annual celebration of its kind.

National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day was started to bring attention to Native communities that were affected by HIV and AIDS. This includes Native Americans, Alaskan Natives, and Native Hawaiians.

It is a day meant to educate Natives and others about prevention, benefits of early testing, and treatment options.

From the beginning of the AIDS epidemic through 2007, nearly 3500 American Indians and Alaskan Natives have been diagnosed with AIDS. In 2006, American Indians and Alaskan Natives had an infection rate of 14.6 people out of every 100,000, while White Americans had an infection rate of 11.5 people for every 100,000. Thus, American Indians and Alaskan Natives had a higher rate of infection than White Americans.

In support of this day, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), has voiced his support for Native community members as they remember those they have lost to the disease.

In a recent National Institutes of Health (NIH) news release, Dr. Fauci cites several social issues that impact the prevalence of HIV and AIDS in Native communities.

Oftentimes, homosexuality is stigmatized in Native communities, causing men to refrain from testing and treatment. In addition, alcohol and substance abuse can lead to increased participation in risky behaviors, such as unprotected sex and needle-sharing.

Social problems such as these can lead to increased transmission of the virus, and can lead individuals who refuse to get tested to become extremely ill.

To encourage prevention and testing, The National Native American AIDS Prevention Center has been supporting National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. The organization provides ideas for getting involved and raising awareness in communities across the country, and even provides a list of events occurring in many states this week.

For more information, please see the NIH and National Native American AIDS Prevention Center Web sites.