Fighting STDs: 20th Anniversary Of Magic Johnson News; HPV And Boys

The L.A. Times reflected back on the changes since Magic Johnson's announcement that he was HIV-positive, and NPR examined the HPV vaccine controversy.

The Los Angeles Times: Twenty Years Later, Magic Johnson Is 'Living Proof' Of Surviving HIV
It wasn't only basketball players who heard (Magic) Johnson on that day and expected only sadness and illness to follow. Michael Weinstein, president and co-founder of AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), said the general feeling in the HIV and AIDS community was simple. "He won't be with us much longer," Weinstein said. Now, Weinstein said, Johnson is a symbol that people can live well with the disease (Pucin, 11/6).

NPR: Why HPV Vaccination Of Boys May Be Easier
(I)n the wake of CDC expert panel's recommendation to extend vaccination to 11- and 12-year-old boys, there's reason to think things might be different this time. "There's been a surprisingly muted reaction," says Dr. Don Dizon, a Brown University oncologist. "We tend to believe that girls are chaste and are going to 'save themselves for marriage.' But, you know, sexual activity is something that's almost expected of boys" (Knox, 11/7).