NPR Series Examines Impact of HIV/AIDS at 25

NPR's "News & Notes with Ed Gordon" this week aired a three-part series exploring the impact of HIV/AIDS in the U.S. and worldwide in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the first AIDS diagnosis on June 5 ("News & Notes with Ed Gordon," NPR, 7/10). Twenty-five years after the first cases were diagnosed, AIDS-related illnesses now are the leading cause of death worldwide among people ages 15 to 59. According to UNAIDS, about 40 million people worldwide are HIV-positive. In the U.S., one million people are HIV-positive, and 40,000 new cases are expected to be diagnosed this year. More than 500,000 people in the U.S. have died of AIDS-related causes since 1981 (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 6/8).

AIDS In Their Own Words, Manago Interview
The first segment in the "News & Notes" series, which aired on Monday, featured stories of individuals affected by HIV/AIDS in their own words. The segment includes comments from Sherry, age 24, a mother who is reluctant to disclose her status publicly; Gladys Guiterrez, age 47, a grandmother who contracted HIV from a blood transfusion; Vanessa, age 46, a lesbian who has been HIV-positive for nearly a decade; and Jonathan Perry, age 29, a gay man who says his HIV status forced him away from his faith (Gordon, "News & Notes with Ed Gordon," NPR, 7/10).

• Audio of Sherry's story is available online in RealPlayer.
  
• Audio of Guiterrez's story is available online in RealPlayer.
  
• Audio of Vanessa's story is available online in RealPlayer.
  
• Audio of Perry's story is available online in RealPlayer.
  
• Audio of the complete segment is available online in RealPlayer.
  

AIDS in Kenya, Gayle Interview
The second segment in the series, which aired on Tuesday, examined the impact of HIV/AIDS on fishing communities near Lake Victoria in Kenya's western Suba District. According to NPR, women have been most affected by the disease, and an entire generation of children has been orphaned (Turner, "News & Notes with Ed Gordon," NPR, 7/11).

The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer. In addition, the program included an interview with Helene Gayle, president and CEO of CARE USA, who said women in developing countries need empowerment, culturally sensitive responses to HIV/AIDS and challenges to traditions that allow the victimization of women (Chideya, "News & Notes with Ed Gordon," NPR, 7/11). The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer.

Not-For-Profit Programs in Kenya, Lewis Interview
The third segment in the series, which aired on Wednesday, examined how not-for-profit programs -- especially support groups -- in Kenya are serving the approximately 650,000 children who have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS in the country (Turner, "News & Notes with Ed Gordon," NPR, 7/12).

The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer. In addition, the program included an interview with U.N. Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa Stephen Lewis about the progress the United Nations and international aid groups have made fighting HIV/AIDS in developing countries (Chideya, "News & Notes with Ed Gordon," NPR, 7/12). The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer. In Extended audio of the interview with Lewis is available online in RealPlayer. Complete NPR coverage of the series is available online.