KAISER DAILY HIV/AIDS REPORT
A service of kaisernetwork.org
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/hiv

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*** WEBCAST: GLOBAL HIV/AIDS***
View a webcast of "U.S. Government Efforts
to Fight HIV/AIDS," a House Appropriations
Subcommittee on Foreign Operations hearing
on global AIDS.
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/healthcast/appropriations/07may03
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

________________________________________



Thursday, May 8, 2003

POLITICS AND POLICY
========================================
1. Global Fund Will Need $1 Billion 'Very Soon,' Executive Director Feachem
Tells House Appropriations Subcommittee

2. AIDS Groups Release Statement Protesting AIDS Research Budget Cuts


ACROSS THE NATION
========================================
3. One in Three Inmates Entering Maryland Prisons Test Positive for HIV or
Other Infectious Diseases, Survey Shows


IN THE COURTS
========================================
4. Australian State Supreme Court Hears 'Landmark' Case Regarding
Confidentiality of Premarital AIDS Testing


DRUG ACCESS
========================================
5. Some South African Corporations 'Coming To Grips' With HIV, Providing
Free Antiretroviral Drugs to HIV-Positive Employees


PUBLIC HEALTH & EDUCATION
========================================
6. Indonesia Allows Operation of Needle-Exchange Programs in Attempt To
Curb Spread of HIV, Hepatitis, Despite Strict Drug Laws


GLOBAL CHALLENGES
========================================
7. UNICEF Reports Increase in HIV/AIDS, Child Sex Exploitation in
Asia-Pacific Region

8. UNAIDS Executive Director Piot Visits Indonesia for Launch of New
National HIV/AIDS Strategy


MEDIA & SOCIETY
========================================
9. Nelson Mandela To Discuss HIV/AIDS With Young People in MTV 'Staying
Alive' Documentary

****************************************

POLITICS AND POLICY

1. Global Fund Will Need $1 Billion 'Very Soon,' Executive Director Feachem
Tells House Appropriations Subcommittee

Access this story and related links online:
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=17591

Richard Feachem, executive director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Malaria, yesterday told the House Appropriations foreign
operations subcommittee that the fund only has about $300 million "on hand"
and will likely need "five times" that amount "very soon" to support
projects, the Washington Post reports (Brown, Washington Post, 5/8). A
51-page General Accounting Office report released yesterday found that the
fund's biggest problem was a lack of resources. The Global Fund has about
$250 million in pledges available to apply toward round three grants this
year, leaving an estimated 2003 shortfall of $1.4 billion, and although
another $500 million in pledges is available next year for rounds four and
five, the fund estimates a 2004 shortfall of $3.3 billion. The report,
requested by Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.), states, "Pledges made for this year
are insufficient to cover more than a small number of additional grants"
and "without significant new pledges" the Global Fund -- which so far has
committed grants to 153 projects in 92 countries -- would not be able to
complete projects it has already begun (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 5/7).
Despite the funding shortfalls, Feachem told the committee that the Global
Fund was "already doing some good" with the money it has received thus far,
according to Reuters. He added, "Large scale reductions in disease will
take time, but soon we will be able to show increasing numbers of people
receiving effective prevention and treatment services" (Fox, Reuters, 5/7).
Overall, the GAO report lauded the Global Fund's efforts to assure that its
grants are quickly disbursed and effectively used.

Fund Contributions


Feachem said that approximately 37% of pledges to the fund through 2004 are
expected to come from the United States, according to the AP/Las Vegas Sun
(Abrams, AP/Las Vegas Sun, 5/7). Last week, the House approved 375-41 an
international AIDS bill (HR 1298), sponsored by Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.),
that would authorize $3 billion a year for five years to go to HIV/AIDS
programs in Africa and the Caribbean, with up to $1 billion in fiscal year
2004 going to the Global Fund (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 5/7). In
addition, the bill would establish a new federal task force to act as a
shadow for the Global Fund as part of an effort to allay fears among many
Republicans that the fund is inefficient (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report,
5/5). The bill is still up for debate in the Senate, and Congress then
must complete the appropriations process (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report,
5/7). Kolbe, chair of the subcommittee, said that while his panel supports
President Bush's HIV/AIDS initiative, which HR 1298 is meant to implement,
"we are aware of the vulnerability of any organization awarding large sums
of money in countries that are poorly governed and often corrupt" (AP/Las
Vegas Sun, 5/7). HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson, who chairs the Global Fund,
told the subcommittee that he and Feachem were pursuing other contributors,
Reuters reports (Reuters, 5/7). Thompson and Feachem are scheduled to
travel to Brussels, Stockholm and Berlin later this spring to "talk about
resources, among other things," Feachem said. Feachem also told the
subcommittee that he will ask the G8 countries for increased pledges at its
upcoming meeting and will do the same at a meeting of all Global Fund
donors, including nongovernmental organizations and individuals, scheduled
for July in Paris (Washington Post, 5/8). Feachem said, "We are pursuing
the private sector through a number of avenues and we are knocking on the
doors of new public money, including the European Development Fund and the
U.K.'s International Finance Facility." He added, "In the short term, the
major donors, particularly the G8, will surely be responsible for most of
the cost. Other donors need to step forward and they are stepping forward"
(Reuters, 5/7). Thompson said, "The president and I are committed to
making the fund work" (AP/Las Vegas Sun, 5/7).

A kaisernetwork.org HealthCast of the subcommittee hearing will be
available online by noon ET today.

2. AIDS Groups Release Statement Protesting AIDS Research Budget Cuts

Access this story and related links online:
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=17592

The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition on Tuesday released a statement,
signed by 16 additional AIDS organizations, protesting a decision made by
the Office of Management and Budget to redirect funds from the research
budget of NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to
the bulk purchase of anthrax vaccines. The groups say that the cuts will
"severely impact" the number and duration of grants available to study
HIV/AIDS and other major infectious diseases and allergies. The groups ask
OMB not to "cut corners by shifting money from research into diseases that
cause untold deaths around the world every day," calling the move a
"short-sighted, misguided policy that pits one disease against another."
Instead of "robbing NIH" and delaying research into vaccines and treatments
for AIDS and other diseases, OMB "should direct the Department of Homeland
Security to fully fund the anthrax vaccine contracts," the statement says.
The statement concludes, "We call on OMB and the [Bush] administration to
immediately restore the cuts made to the NIAID research budget and urge
that a more appropriate funding stream such as DHS is utilized for the bulk
purchase of anthrax vaccines." The other groups that signed the statement
include ACT UP/Philadelphia, AIDS Action Baltimore, AIDS Foundation of
Chicago, AIDS Project Los Angeles, AIDS Treatment Data Network, American
Foundation for AIDS Research, Cascade AIDS Project, Center for Health and
Gender Equity, Florida AIDS Action, Gay Men's Health Crisis, L.A. Gay &
Lesbian Center, Lifelong AIDS Alliance, National Minority AIDS Council,
Project Inform, Title II Community AIDS National Network and Treatment
Action Group (AVAC release, 5/6).


ACROSS THE NATION

3. One in Three Inmates Entering Maryland Prisons Test Positive for HIV or
Other Infectious Diseases, Survey Shows

Access this story and related links online:
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=17593

More than one in three inmates entering the Maryland prison system tests
positive for HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B or hepatitis C, and many prisoners
have more than one infection, according to a blood survey released Tuesday
by the Maryland AIDS Administration, the Baltimore Sun reports (Bykowicz,
Baltimore Sun, 5/8). The survey was based on blood tests administered to
3,914 inmates over 60 days in 2002 upon admission to a Baltimore detention
center and a state receiving facility for inmates who are on their way to
prisons throughout Maryland (Associated Press, 5/6). In February and March
2002, every detainee or inmate underwent a blood test for syphilis and
those who tested positive received follow-up care. Identifying information
was then removed from the blood samples before further testing for the
other viruses was completed, the Washington Post reports. The survey shows
that prevalence rates for the diseases among the state's prison population
is "dramatically higher" than the rates among the general population. For
example, the survey found that 29.7% of inmates tested positive for
hepatitis C -- the most prevalent of the diseases among inmates -- while
only 2% of the U.S. population has the disease, according to Liza Solomon,
head of the MAA (Goldstein, Washington Post, 5/7). In addition, the report
found that almost 65% of HIV-positive inmates are coinfected with hepatitis
C, and more than 50% of the inmates with hepatitis B also have hepatitis C.
Richard Rosenblatt, assistant secretary for treatment services in the
Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, said that Maryland
has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates of any prison system in the
United States (Baltimore Sun, 5/8). The report noted that most of the
diseases are transmitted primarily through the use of contaminated needles
for injection drug use; however, syphilis is a sexually transmitted
bacterium and is only transmitted in that manner. The study, which Solomon
said is the first to show systematically that prisoners often have several
infectious diseases simultaneously, also found that women entering Maryland
prisons are "far more likely" to have HIV, syphilis and hepatitis C than
men entering state facilities.

Treatment


Maryland prisons currently offer treatment for syphilis and HIV but do not
"routinely" administer hepatitis B vaccinations to inmates or staff
members, nor do they offer routine treatment of inmates who have hepatitis
C, Solomon said, according to the Post. The higher prevalence of these
infectious diseases among prisoners could have "major public health
implications" because some inmates eventually rejoin society, where they
can spread the infections, Solomon said. Maryland Division of Corrections
officials are reviewing the survey "with an eye toward new medical
policies," division spokesperson Mark Vernarelli said, adding, "Health and
treatment issues are a priority for this administration. Preventing the
spread of communicable diseases among inmates is critical" (Washington
Post, 5/7). According to Rosenblatt, treatment of prisoners with hepatitis
C infection will begin "somewhere down the road" (Baltimore Sun, 5/8).

Hepatitis C in Virginia Prisons


Thirty-nine percent of Virginia's inmates have hepatitis C, according to a
new study, titled "Accountable to No One," conducted by the American Civil
Liberties Union of Virginia, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports. Laura
LaFay, former ACLU of Virginia associate director, conducted the
"months-long" study, which relied on a "relatively small number of cases,"
according to the Times-Dispatch. The state Department of Corrections
barred access to completed medical records about treatment and deaths, but
LaFay asserts that the state's prisons are "breeding grounds" for hepatitis
C. She added that only 50 prisoners out of approximately 12,800 infected
inmates have received treatment for the virus since November 2002.
According to LaFay, the state has "severely limited" access to treatment
for hepatitis C -- which can cost $15,000 per inmate per year -- through
stringent eligibility rules, the Times-Dispatch reports. The report
offered 10 recommendations for the public, inmates and health care
providers, including repealing a state law that allows prisons to withhold
all records about an inmate's imprisonment and calling for a public
database on infectious diseases in prisons, as well as information on the
medical treatment. Kent Willis, executive director of ACLU of Virginia,
said that the report found that state prison medical care "is woefully
inadequate and leads to much unnecessary suffering, and in some cases,
death." He added, "The state hasn't put in place mechanisms so that the
public knows what's going on behind bars." Larry Traylor, corrections
department spokesperson, said, "Inmates receive the same community standard
of care" as other state residents, adding, "Oftentimes, they receive better
medical care than they received on the street." But LaFay said that there
seams to be "little governmental interest in dealing with the growing"
hepatitis C epidemic. "If we don't treat the prisoners inside the prisons,
we'll have to pay twice as much to treat complications of their disease
after they're released. ... By taking care of (inmate), we take care of
ourselves," she said (Hardy, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 5/8).


IN THE COURTS

4. Australian State Supreme Court Hears 'Landmark' Case Regarding
Confidentiality of Premarital AIDS Testing

Access this story and related links online:
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=17594

An Australian state Supreme Court is currently hearing a "landmark" case
on the transmission of HIV within marriage, which may determine whether a
doctor is obliged to breach confidentiality with a patient in order to
protect his or her partner from HIV infection, Melbourne's Age reports
(Lamont, Age, 5/7). A 28-year-old woman known as PD is suing Drs. Nicholas
Harvey and King Weng Chen of the Alpha Medical Center for negligence and
breach of contract for failing to reveal her fiance's HIV status following
a joint premarital consultation about sexually transmitted diseases in
November 1998 (Lamont, Sydney Morning Herald, 5/8). Dr. Chen informed PD's
fiancé, who had recently emigrated from Ghana, that he had both HIV and
hepatitis B, advising him not to have unprotected sex and to attend the
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital's HIV clinic. The fiancé told his wife that
he was HIV-negative, falsifying a test result certificate to back up his
statement (Lamont, Sydney Morning Herald, 5/6). PD, who had tested
HIV-negative during the premarital consultation, did not find out the true
results of her husband's tests until 1999 when she was searching for his
immigration papers in his suitcase. She was pregnant, and she later tested
positive for hepatitis and HIV. The infant has tested negative for both
hepatitis and HIV (Australian Associated Press, 5/5).

Arguments


Ian Harrison, counsel for the defense, argued that if the doctors had
breached the fiancé's confidentiality, they would have opened themselves up
for damage suits and charges of professional and criminal misconduct (Age,
5/7). The dilemma for the doctors was "being sued for negligence by
someone in the position of the plaintiff or being sued for damages for
revealing someone's HIV status," Harrison said (Sydney Morning Herald,
5/6). Jay Anderson, PD's lawyer, on Monday argued that because the couple
was jointly consulted about the tests at the clinic, they should have been
told about each other's results (Daily Telegraph, 5/6). Anderson also said
that the doctors did not take proper follow-up precautions with the couple
to ensure that PD did not contract the diseases (Australian Associated
Press, 5/5). Sexual health expert Dr. Carmella Law, who testified for the
plaintiff, said that when Harvey was unable to contact the man by phone or
mail in May 1999 and when he discovered that the man had failed to attend
the HIV clinic to which he was referred, he should have acted to ensure the
safety of his other patient, PD (Sydney Morning Herald, 5/8). Linda Mann,
an expert medical witness for PD, said that the doctors should have
contacted the medical defense union for advice as well as the public health
authorities after discovering the man's failure to attend clinic
appointments. The doctors could have sought permission from the
director-general of health to breach confidentiality, she said, adding, "It
is an awful dilemma [but] not insoluble" (Sydney Morning Herald, 5/6). The
hearings before Acting Judge Jerrold Cripps of the New South Wales Supreme
Court are ongoing (Daily Telegraph, 5/6).

Canadian Woman Sues Doctors for Failing To Perform Prenatal HIV Testing


In related news, an Ontario woman is suing three doctors for failing to
perform prenatal HIV testing, which she alleges led to vertical HIV
transmission to her child, the Toronto Globe and Mail reports. The woman,
who gave birth in 2000, was seen by three doctors who ordered a series of
routine tests but failed to offer an HIV test, according to David Harvey,
the woman's lawyer. The case, which is the first of its kind in North
America, comes amid calls from a "growing number of public health experts"
for routine prenatal HIV testing (Favaro, Toronto Globe and Mail, 5/7).
The Society for Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the College of Family
Physicians of Canada and the Canadian Pediatric Society all have
recommended that physicians routinely offer HIV testing to all women.
Without treatment, 15% to 30% of infants born to HIV-positive women test
positive for the virus (Favaro, CTV Online, 5/7). However, if the pregnant
woman and the newborn receive antiretroviral treatment, the risk of
transmitting the virus to the infant is around 1%. Despite these figures,
only about 80% of pregnant woman in Ontario are currently tested for HIV
(CP/Toronto Star, 5/6). Many health care professionals are pushing for a
routine testing policy, similar to a policy that is in place in Alberta,
Canada, where 98% of pregnant women are tested for HIV (Robertson, Canadian
Television, 5/6). A date will be set for the trial sometime this summer
(Toronto Globe and Mail, 5/7).

CTV News and Canada AM on Tuesday reported on the case. Video clips of
each segment are available online in Windows Media.


DRUG ACCESS

5. Some South African Corporations 'Coming To Grips' With HIV, Providing
Free Antiretroviral Drugs to HIV-Positive Employees

Access this story and related links online:
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=17595

As the corporate world is "slowly coming to grips with the cost of HIV,"
several corporations operating in South Africa are providing free
antiretroviral drugs to HIV-positive employees in an effort to minimize the
financial toll of the epidemic on their businesses and the country's
economy, NPR's "All Things Considered" reports. According to NPR, many
companies could lose up to one-third of their work force to HIV/AIDS, and
last year 250,000 South Africans, most in their prime earning years, died
of AIDS-related causes. Richard Feachem, executive director of the Global
Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, said that corporations are
"just starting" to see the effects of HIV/AIDS on their bottom lines. "The
reality is that the public sector in most countries is not even beginning
to deliver [treatment] services, and therefore, corporations, either for
self-interest or because of good corporate citizenship, need to stand
forward and start to do things for themselves," Feachem said (Beaubien,
"All Things Considered," NPR, 5/7). South Africa's largest mining company,
AngloGold, in November 2002 began distributing antiretroviral drugs to a
few of its HIV-positive employees as part of a plan to distribute the drugs
free of charge to all of its HIV-positive staff in Southern Africa (Kaiser
Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 11/18/02). "Really what drove this overall is the
moral ethic to provide antiretrovirals. You can't withhold treatment that
is shown to help a condition," Dr. Petra Kruger, who runs AngloGold's
HIV/AIDS program, said. However, NPR reports that "it was also a matter
of economics," as executives at AngloGold and BMW realized that it is less
expensive to treat HIV among current employees than to replace thousands of
sick and dying workers. BMW began providing free HIV/AIDS medications to
workers at its assembly plant outside Pretoria two years ago and encourages
employees to be tested for HIV, according to Dr. Natalie Myeth, the
occupational health physician at the factory. "HIV is a manageable
disease. It should be no different to your diabetes, to your
hypertension," Myeth said ("All Things Considered," NPR, 5/7). The full
segment is available online in RealPlayer.

Corporate Treatment Programs Are 'Catastrophic Mistakes,' Study Says


South African workplace HIV/AIDS treatment programs are making
"catastrophic mistakes" and may be doubling the cost of the epidemic on
business, according to a study conducted by consulting firm FutureForesight
and the Wits Health Consortium, U.N. IRIN reports. Audits of employees from
several companies that provide HIV/AIDS treatment found that 55% of audited
patients were not visiting their doctor for monitoring and testing and 32%
were failing therapy and developing resistance to the drugs, placing a
"substantial productivity burden" on their company, the study says. The
report found that while some employees who were receiving treatment were in
advanced stages of HIV infection, about 60% of the employees on
antiretroviral drugs should not yet have received treatment due to the
drugs' increased efficacy in later stages of the disease. "Thus, most
employees currently being treated in (South Africa) are not examples of a
cost saving, but examples of cost doubling -- treatment plus the past
productivity losses," the report states. According to the study, the timing
of antiretroviral treatment is "critical" and early identification of
HIV-positive employees through voluntary counseling and testing could
realize savings in lost productivity. The study also recommends improved
clinical management of HIV and follow-up with patients, adding that
corporate treatment programs would not produce any savings unless the
clinical management was "good enough to keep the employee healthy and
productive." Chris Barker of FutureForesight said, "What people don't
realize is that this situation could implode and all these well-meaning
interventions could undermine treatment" (U.N. IRIN, 5/7).


PUBLIC HEALTH & EDUCATION

6. Indonesia Allows Operation of Needle-Exchange Programs in Attempt To
Curb Spread of HIV, Hepatitis, Despite Strict Drug Laws

Access this story and related links online:
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=17596

Indonesia, which has strict drug laws, including penalties for carrying a
needle without a prescription, is allowing needle-exchange programs to
operate in health clinics in an attempt to curb an "alarming rise" in HIV
and hepatitis infections transmitted through needle-sharing, the Christian
Science Monitor reports. A similar "sea change" in policy is occuring in
other Asian countries, "where traditional law-and-order responses to
illegal drugs are mixing, often uneasily, with efforts to reach out to drug
users," according to the Monitor. China recently approved needle-exchange
programs in six provinces, India already has similar programs and Iran
operates needle-exchange and methadone projects with assistance from the
World Health Organization. Harm reduction advocates say that they are not
promoting drug use by operating the needle exchanges but rather
acknowledging that until drug users are able to break their habit, safer
behavior will help prevent HIV transmission. "Indonesia's youth are
injecting [drugs] in large numbers," Jane Wilson, country director for
UNAIDS in Indonesia, said, adding, "If we want to do something about HIV in
the drug community, we only have a limited window open to act." However,
the programs remain controversial in Indonesia, as well as many other
countries, often resulting in "clash[es]" between public health officials
and security officials "who dislike bending the rules," the Monitor
reports. "This [harm reduction] is a new approach in Asia, so of course it
can be hard for police to accept ... because in the meantime the [drug]
laws haven't been changed, so it requires some pragmatism," Dr. Sandro
Calvani, regional director of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, said
(Montlake, Christian Science Monitor, 5/8).


GLOBAL CHALLENGES

7. UNICEF Reports Increase in HIV/AIDS, Child Sex Exploitation in
Asia-Pacific Region

Access this story and related links online:
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=17597

UNICEF yesterday at the Sixth East Asia and Pacific Ministerial
Consultation on Children in Bali, Indonesia, told approximately 250
delegates from 25 countries that the HIV/AIDS epidemic, child trafficking
and sexual exploitation are escalating in the Asia-Pacific region,
Agence-France Presse reports (Agence-France Presse, 5/7). UNICEF Regional
Director Mehr Khan said that the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Asia has "exceeded
UNICEF's worst projections," adding that the situation is similar in terms
of epidemic growth and government response to that of some African nations
12 years ago and is "indeed alarming." Approximately 2.5 million people in
the region are HIV-positive, with half of the cases among people under age
25; injection drug use and unprotected sex are responsible for the majority
of HIV cases, according to UNICEF. Young people in the region are
"particularly vulnerable" to HIV because there is little education about
safe sex (UNICEF release, 5/7). In addition, a document adopted at the
conference said that women and children in the region are being trafficked
for sexual exploitation in "increasingly large numbers," according to
Agence-France Presse. The document added that these children "are
frequently subjected to physical and sexual violence and psychological
trauma, and are highly vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and other sexually
transmitted diseases" (Agence-France Presse, 5/7).

8. UNAIDS Executive Director Piot Visits Indonesia for Launch of New
National HIV/AIDS Strategy

Access this story and related links online:
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=17598

UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot yesterday began a three-day visit to
Indonesia to acknowledge the country's actions toward implementing the
Declaration of Commitment that was unanimously adopted at the U.N. General
Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS in June 2001, Antara News reports.
The declaration outlines specific HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment goals
that governments must meet. Piot is scheduled tomorrow to participate in
the launch of the Indonesian National HIV/AIDS Strategy for 2003 to 2007.
He is also scheduled to meet with President Megawati Soekarnoputri,
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla, Defense Minister
Matori Abdul Djalil, Indonesian Police Chief General Da'I Bachtiar, as well
as several legislators, religious leaders, representatives of women's
organization and people living with HIV/AIDS. Alan Boulton, director of
the International Labor Organization Jakarta and chair of Indonesia's U.N.
Theme Group on HIV/AIDS, said that Piot's visit to the country is
important, especially because Piot will help encourage and mobilize the
necessary resources needed to implement the new national strategy (Antara
News, 5/6).


MEDIA & SOCIETY

9. Nelson Mandela To Discuss HIV/AIDS With Young People in MTV 'Staying
Alive' Documentary

Access this story and related links online:
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=17599

Former South African President Nelson Mandela will discuss the HIV/AIDS
pandemic with a group of young people in an MTV documentary about his life
that is scheduled to air in July, Reuters/Washington Post reports
(Majendie, Reuters/Washington Post, 5/7). The 60-minute special, produced
by MTV's parent company Viacom, in association with the Nelson Mandela
Foundation, UNAIDS, the World Bank, the Kaiser Family Foundation and Family
Health International's YouthNet, will launch the 2003 "Staying Alive"
HIV/AIDS awareness campaign. The special will be offered at no cost to
broadcasters worldwide (MTV release, 5/7). For the film, Mandela has
invited young people from all over the world to his home in Johannesburg to
discuss issues that worry them, including HIV/AIDS. Mandela said that half
of new HIV infections occur among people under 25 years of age, according
to Reuters/Post. "With rising HIV infection rates around the world and the
issues of war, terrorism and discrimination, young people now have so many
important decisions to make in their lives," Mandela said. Mandela became
more involved with the HIV/AIDS issue when he was preparing to leave office
in 1999, establishing the Nelson Mandela Foundation that "has played a
major role in organizing youth (HIV/AIDS) education programs," according to
Reuters/Post. The hour-long MTV documentary about Mandela's life could
reach a potential audience of one billion (Reuters/Washington Post, 5/7).
In addition to the "Staying Alive" campaign, Viacom, the world's largest
media group, and the Kaiser Family Foundation in January launched the
year-long "KNOW HIV/AIDS" awareness campaign, aimed at raising HIV/AIDS
awareness through public service announcements, television and radio
programming and free print and online content. The campaign, which has a
total ad placement value of $120 million, is targeted at both the general
population and groups hardest hit by HIV/AIDS, such as people under age 25,
minorities, women and men who have sex with men. The initiative has already
created 49 television, radio and outdoor ads that are appearing on Viacom's
television networks CBS and UPN and 200 affiliates; cable outlets MTV, BET,
VH1, CMT, MTV2, TV Land, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Showtime, TNN and
Comedy Central; more than 180 Infinity radio stations; and on billboards,
buses and bus shelters (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 4/28).


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