President Barack Obama is urging Americans to get tested for HIV.

In a statement Monday on National HIV Testing Day, the president said “one in five Americans living with HIV is not aware of their infection.” He highlighted the importance of making sure people know their status, as well as getting treatment for those who have the virus to protect their health and prevent further transmissions.

He said it has been three decades since the first cases of HIV / AIDS emerged, and in that time some 600,000 Americans have died from it, while more than one million Americans are living with it.

HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.

The United Nations says an estimated 34 million people worldwide are living with HIV, and some 30 million people around the globe have died of AIDS-related causes in the 30 years since the first cases were reported.