Today is World AIDS Day. In the United States, roughly 1.2 million Americans are living with HIV and about 50,000 become newly infected each year. Since the beginning of the epidemic 30 years ago, more than 600,000 Americans have lost their lives to HIV and AIDS. Today, there are more than 200,000 Americans living with HIV who don’t know it. Regular testing is important: If people know they are HIV positive, they can take steps to protect themselves and their partners, and live longer and healthier lives.

During a visit to Kenya in 2006, then-Senator Barack Obama and his wife Michelle highlighted the importance of testing for HIV by getting tested themselves at a local clinic.