SPH is proud to announce the official launch of the UMD-Prevention Research Center, which is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and will focus on improving health disparities of the national capital border in Prince George’s County.
UMD-PRC is one of 35 centers across the country involving community members, academic researchers, and public health agencies in finding innovative ways to promote health and prevent disease.
With its launch, UMD-PRC will be involved with the university’s events next week honoring World AIDS Day.
On Tuesday, Dec. 2, free HIV testing and STD screening will be available. There is also a tremendous schedule of speakers lined up, including President and CEO of The Cave Institute Dr. Lucille Perez. The Cave Institute is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities and the establishment of optimal health, focusing on health policy and research with a special emphasis on faith and ethics.
Principal investigator for UMD-PRC Dr. Brad Boekeloo will share the honor of opening remarks with County Executive Jack Johnson and Prince George’s County Health Officer Dr. Donald Shell.
You can see the full agenda at here.
World AIDS Day was established by the World Health Organization in 1988 to create a global awareness of the pandemic, and it continues to be held annually on the first day of December. This year’s theme is “Universal Access and Human Rights.”
WHO reported in 2007 that 33.2 million people are infected with AIDS, with eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa accounting for almost one-third of all new infections and AIDS-related deaths globally.
According to WHO’s progress report in 2009, AIDS awareness and available resources for those infected have improved greatly in recent years. Among its findings are:
* Four million people received antiretroviral therapy (ART) in low- and middle-income countries at the end of 2008, which is an increase by one million since 2007, or an improvement by 10 fold in the last five years.
* 42 percent of people with HIV/AIDS in low- and middle-income countries received ART in 2008—a 33 percent increase since 2007.
* The number of health facilities providing HIV testing and counseling in low-and middle-income countries increased by 35 percent from 2007 to 2008.
* The total number of tests reported more than doubled from 2007 to 2008.
* A population survey says the median percentage of people living with HIV who know about their condition remains below 40 percent.
Be sure to visit the Nyumuru Cultural Center in Multipurpose Room 0310 Level P on Tuesday to hear more about the local efforts to address the issue of HIV and AIDS.
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