Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report Highlights World AIDS Day Events, Publications, Media Programs

Countries, organizations and media outlets are scheduled to hold events, release publications or air HIV/AIDS-related content to mark World AIDS Day on Dec. 1. Summaries appear below.

Events

• Mozambique on Friday will observe one minute of silence to remember people who have died of AIDS-related illnesses, the government said Thursday (AP/Independent Online, 11/30).
  
  
• Five thousand taxi drivers in Beijing, China, on Friday will begin a 10-day campaign to raise HIV/AIDS awareness by distributing information cards about the virus to passengers, a health official said Thursday (Xinhua/People's Daily, 11/30).
  
  
• The South African government on Friday is expected to announce its HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan for 2007 through 2011, Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said Wednesday (Xinhuanet, 11/30).
  
  
• China Central Television on Friday will air the foreign-produced HIV/AIDS documentary "A Closer Walk," which features international HIV/AIDS experts, people living with the virus and HIV/AIDS advocates, according to the Ministry of Health (Xinhua/People's Daily, 11/30).
  

Webcasts

• "Stop the Violence Against Women, Fight AIDS," kaisernetwork.org: The webcast features a UNAIDS event examining how the faith-based community can continue and expand its leadership role and help promote and support effective strategies to stop violence and fight HIV/AIDS worldwide (kaisernetwork.org, 12/1).
  
  
• "World AIDS Day Forum 2006," kaisernetwork.org: The webcast features a panel discussion hosted by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation focused on issues surrounding HIV/AIDS (kaisernetwork.org, 12/1).
  

Publications

• EDUCAIDS Publications: UNESCO on Wednesday released two publications related to EDUCAIDS -- the UNAIDS Global Initiative on Education and HIV/AIDS, which is spearheaded by UNESCO. The first publication, titled, "EDUCAIDS: Towards a Comprehensive Education Sector Response. A Framework for Action", identifies how the educational sector can respond to HIV/AIDS and examines issues for EDUCAIDS at the country, regional and global levels. The second publication, titled, "Linking EDUCAIDS With Other Ongoing Initiatives: An Overview of Opportunities", compares EDUCAIDS with other HIV/AIDS initiatives and identifies potential collaborative opportunities (UNESCO release, 11/29).
  
  
• Women's Health USA 2006: The Health Resources and Services Administration on Tuesday released data that indicate that in 2004, 37.3% of women in the U.S. received an HIV test, CQ HealthBeat reports. HRSA also found that testing rates vary by race and ethnicity and that HIV/AIDS has a disproportionate effect on minority populations (CQ HealthBeat, 11/30).
  

Media Initiatives, Partnerships

• "African Broadcast Media Partnership Against HIV/AIDS Launches Coordinated, Multi-Year Media Campaign in 25 Countries," African Broadcast Media Partnership Against HIV/AIDS: ABMP -- a coalition of 41 public and commercial radio and television broadcast companies in 25 African countries -- on Friday plans to launch the three- to five-year campaign across the continent with a series of public service announcements that encourage African people to consider how they can help stop the spread of HIV. The PSAs feature members of African history and young Africans, and subsequent phases of the initiative will focus on behaviors and attitudes driving the spread of the epidemic, including AIDS-related stigma and gender equality (ABMP release, 11/30).
  
  
• BET on Dec. 1 will launch three days of HIV-themed programming to commemorate World AIDS Day. The broadcasts will begin at 6 p.m. ET/PT with a live 90-minute telecast of BET's music countdown show, "106 & Park: BET's Top 10 Live." The program, which will feature celebrity guests and health experts, will address HIV/AIDS and high-risk behaviors associated with contracting the virus. In addition, BET News throughout World AIDS Day will air 60-second news briefs, titled "Red Blood, Green Dollars and Black Skin," addressing the impact of HIV/AIDS throughout Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America and the U.S. The news briefs will feature interviews with celebrities and HIV/AIDS advocates, including Alicia Keys, Richard Gere, Magic Johnson and Marvelyn Brown. BET -- which since 1998 has partnered with the Kaiser Family Foundation on Rap-It-Up, a public education campaign to inform young people about sexual health issues, including HIV/AIDS -- also will provide special HIV-themed online content, including articles about HIV/AIDS and treatment options, BET News video reports and interactive features. The cable network's 2006 World AIDS Day line-up also includes other HIV/AIDS-themed programming and concludes one year of grassroots efforts, screenplay competitions and the "25 Heroes" public service announcements (BET/Kaiser Family Foundation release, 11/27).
  
  
• MTV Networks in partnership with the Kaiser Family Foundation has dedicated the week leading up to World AIDS Day to informing and engaging young people in the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The week -- which will feature a combination of long-form entertainment documentaries about HIV/AIDS, new public service announcements, new online content and a series of in-depth MTV News reports on HIV/AIDS -- is part of thinkHIV, a long-term collaboration between MTV and the Kaiser Family Foundation to raise awareness and empower young people in the fight against HIV/AIDS. MTV also will broadcast HIV-themed programming on its 800-square-foot high-definition video screen overlooking New York City's Times Square. Special programming includes: thinkHIV: This is Me, an entirely user-generated show in which young people describe how their generation has been affected by HIV/AIDS; Staying Alive -- 48fest, a documentary following 48 young people as they progress through film production at MTV's 48fest film competition, which was held in conjunction with the 2006 International AIDS Conference in Toronto; and Black Book, a brief film that tells the story of a young man who is confronting the reality and responsibilities of living with HIV. MTV during the week also will add updated information and video content on HIV treatment and prevention to think.mtv.com, and MTV News will provide in-depth reporting on HIV prevention, treatment and vaccine development (MTV/Kaiser Family Foundation release, 11/27).
  
  
• Univision in partnership with the Kaiser Family Foundation on Dec. 2 will air a special, titled "Enterate ... SIDA, 25 Anos Despues" (Get the Facts! ... AIDS, 25 Years Later), that will examine HIV/AIDS among Hispanics in the U.S. The program will look at the status of HIV/AIDS nationwide and will include testimonials of people living with HIV/AIDS and interviews with medical and mental health experts. The special aims to help viewers understand HIV/AIDS, how HIV is transmitted, risk factors, cultural and behavioral barriers, and strategies to curb the spread of the virus. Univision and the Kaiser Family Foundation also have developed a series of public service announcements and informational vignettes that will be aired on the Univision Network and on Univision affiliates throughout December. The PSAs encourage young Hispanics to learn more about HIV/AIDS, talk with their families and partners about the disease, and to get regular HIV tests (Univision/Kaiser Family Foundation release, 11/27).
  

Selected Media Programming -- U.S. Networks

• Logo: "Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt," which won an Academy Award in 1989 for best documentary feature, and "And the Band Played On" are among the films and documentaries the network will feature for World AIDS Day (TV Guide, 11/27). Complete Logo programming for World AIDS Day is available online.
  
  
• Showtime: "Beat the Drum" tells the story of a boy in Africa who loses his parents to HIV/AIDS. The film will air Friday at 8 p.m. ET (TV Guide, 11/27).
  
  
• Sundance Channel: "The Mother's House" tells the story of a teenage girl and her HIV-positive mother. The film will air Friday at 10 p.m. ET (TV Guide, 11/27).
  
  
• TLC: "Ashley Judd and YouthAIDS: Confronting the Pandemic," a one-hour documentary featuring Judd and actress Selma Hayek, profiles the work of YouthAIDS in Central America. The documentary will air Friday at 8 p.m. ET (TV Guide, 11/27).
  

Selected Media Programming -- International Networks

• Makerere University Walter Reed Project, Kampala, Uganda: More than 30 local musicians recorded the song, "A Little Bit of Love," which encourages HIV prevention efforts. MUWRP commissioned the song, which recently began airing on Ugandan radio stations to encourage participation in 2006 World AIDS Day events (U.S. Military HIV Research Program release, 11/28). The song's lyrics are available online. Music videos for "A Little Bit of Love" are available online.
  
  
• Ambassador Mark Dybul, who serves as the U.S. global AIDS coordinator and administers the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, is scheduled to discuss World AIDS Day in an "Ask the White House" chat on Friday at 3 p.m. ET. A transcript of the chat will be available online.