Every year on December 1st, World Aids Day is recognized across the globe by wearing red ribbons to raise HIV and AIDS awareness.  This year marks the 35th year since reports were first published about what we now know as the HIV/AIDS virus.

Great strides in treatment have been made over the past three decades, giving someone who tests positive for HIV close to a normal life span from what was considered a "death sentence" when the virus was first discovered.

About 50,000 people are diagnosed with HIV each year in the United States, and 1 in 8 of the 1.2 million people who are living with HIV are not aware they have the virus.  Medicare covers HIV screenings upon request for recipients that are between the ages of 15 and 65, and also in pregnant women.