On this World AIDS Day, it's estimated that nearly six thousand Minnesotans are living with HIV. Nearly three thousand Minnesotans have died of AIDS since the disease was discovered in the early 1980s.
Roy Nelson of the State Health Department says the infection rate is especially troubling among certain ethnic groups.
Nelson says, although there's been little progress in developing a vaccine, AIDS remains a very preventable disease, if people practice safe sex.
Today marks the the 21st annual World AIDS day.