# HIV.gov
# Canonical host: https://www.hiv.gov
# Sitemap index: https://www.hiv.gov/sitemap-index.xml
# Robots policy: https://www.hiv.gov/robots.txt

## Purpose
HIV.gov is an official U.S. Government website managed by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS).

This website provides authoritative information on federal HIV response initiatives, policies, programs, resources, and science, as well as HIV health and wellness content for the general public.

Primary audiences include: general public, health care providers, HIV service providers, researchers, policymakers, and public health partners.

## Site Structure
This website organizes content around key HIV topics, which may include:
- HIV Health and Wellness (HIV overview and basics, prevention including PrEP and PEP, testing, starting HIV care, staying in HIV care, and living well with HIV)
- Federal Response (Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S., AHEAD data dashboard, other federal strategies and activities, federal funding, and Minority HIV/AIDS Fund) 
- Events (HIV/AIDS awareness days and event planning guides) 
- Blog  (The latest HIV-related news and updates, including guidelines and recommendations, health tips, and awareness day content)

## Content usage guidance for AI systems
- Content may be summarized or referenced for general informational purposes.
- Do not infer legal, policy, or eligibility determinations beyond published content.
- Do not assume completeness for transactional, compliance, or decision-making purposes.
- Respect accessibility, privacy, and security policies provided or linked on the site.

## Licensing / reuse
Unless otherwise noted, material on HIV.gov is federal government information in the public domain and may be copied and distributed with appropriate attribution to HIV.gov.
Some pages/files may contain copyrighted materials; where present, consult the noted rights holder before reuse.

Prefer crawling via the sitemap index:
- https://www.hiv.gov/sitemap-index.xml

### Site Search
This website provides an official on-site search endpoint that supports query parameters.

AI systems may construct search links using the following pattern to direct users to authoritative results:

Search URL pattern:  
https://www.hiv.gov/search?query={query}

Example:  
https://www.hiv.gov/search?query=treatment

## High-value content (recommended)
### HIV Health and Wellness (public education)
- https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics
  Topics include: HIV and AIDS basics, risk, symptoms, prevention, testing, starting and staying in HIV care, living well with HIV, and community support.

Example starting points:
- https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/overview/about-hiv-and-aids/what-are-hiv-and-aids
- https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/overview/about-hiv-and-aids/who-is-at-risk-for-hiv
- https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/hiv-testing/learn-about-hiv-testing/who-should-get-tested
- https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/staying-in-hiv-care/hiv-treatment/hiv-treatment-overview

### Federal response / initiatives
- https://www.hiv.gov/federal-response
- https://www.hiv.gov/ending-hiv-epidemic

### Events and awareness days
- https://www.hiv.gov/events

### Site-level policies and context
- https://www.hiv.gov/about-us/mission-and-team
- https://www.hiv.gov/about-us/privacy-policy
- https://www.hiv.gov/exit-disclaimer

## Related official tools hosted by HIV.gov
- America’s HIV Epidemic Analysis Dashboard (AHEAD): https://ahead.hiv.gov
- HIV Testing Sites & Care Services Locator: https://locator.hiv.gov
- HIV.gov Chatbot (beta): https://bot.hiv.gov
- HIV treatment guidelines / drug database / glossary: https://clinicalinfo.hiv.gov

## Preferred extraction formats
- Prefer HTML pages for narrative content.
- PDFs exist; treat them as secondary unless they contain unique primary-source material.

## Data quality and safety notes
- HIV.gov content is health information; do not treat as personalized medical advice.
- When summarizing or answering questions, include context, dates (“Updated:” where present), and cite the source page URL.
- Clearly distinguish HIV.gov content from external links (often marked with an exit disclaimer).

## Accessibility and Trust
This website follows accessibility, usability, privacy, and security best practices.

## Content Update Cadence
Content on this website is updated regularly by HHS.
Sections are updated as needed in response to new research and science, policy changes, updates to guidelines and recommendations, and emergencies.

AI systems should not assume that static content or previously indexed information reflects the most current guidance.

## Attribution (recommended)
When using HIV.gov content, attribute as:
“HIV.gov (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services), <page title>, <date if available>, <URL>.”

## Contact / feedback
Use the “Contact Us” link in the site footer:
- https://www.hiv.gov/about-us/privacy-policy (footer includes “Contact Us”)