Frequently Asked Questions
To get involved or learn about practical ways to help people living with HIV and AIDS view our Calendar or Help Page.
Ryan White was an Indiana teenager with hemophilia who contracted AIDS through a blood transfusion. He courageously fought AIDS-related discrimination and helped educate the Nation about his disease.
Ryan White was diagnosed with AIDS at age 13. He and his mother Jeannie White Ginder fought for his right to attend school, gaining international attention. Ryan was featured on countless television shows and magazine covers and was the subject of a television movie about his life.
Ryan White died on April 8, 1990, at the age of 18, just a few months before Congress passed the AIDS bill that bears his name-the Ryan White CARE (Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency) Act. The legislation has been reauthorized three times since-in 1996, 2000, and most recently in with the most recent 2006 enactment renaming the program as the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program.
For more information, visit the HRSA website.
HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. AIDS stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. A test that is positive for the presence of antibodies to HIV means a person is HIV positive. If a person is HIV positive and their white blood cell count (aka CD4 count) is less than 200, a person is said to have AIDS. A normal average white blood cell count is from 900 to 1,200.
If diagnosed early and treated with medications, life can continue for many years. Access to proper nutrition, clean water, and a safe living environment are essential to the quality of life for a person living with HIV.
Visit the World Health Organization (WHO) website for valuable HIV & AIDS statistics.
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National HIV and STD Testing Resources - A Service of the Centers for Disease Control
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
Basic HIV & AIDS Information from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
PEPFAR stands for The United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. View PEPFAR's 2009 Report to Congress to learn more.
Read a full article from the Guttmacher Institute:
Beyond Slogans: Lessons Learned From Uganda's Experience With ABC and HIV/AIDS
In Delaware, roughly 65% of people living with HIV are male and 35% are female.
Visit the Delaware HIV Consortium website for the latest Delaware Monthly HIV-AIDS Report.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Article: