Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Miami Herald - Friday, December 5, 2003
Gere, who has been a vocal campaigner against HIV-AIDS in the region for several years, is preparing an AIDS awareness campaign called The Heroes Project with celebrities he believes can carry the message of prevention and care to the average Indian.
"Obviously there is a huge problem, but there is light at the end of the tunnel when you see so many dedicated [aid] workers," the 54-year-old actor said Tuesday. He also funds various causes in the South Asian country through his charity, the Gere Foundation India Trust.
At least four million Indians are infected with HIV-AIDS, according to government statistics that don't count child victims. Aid workers estimate at least 50 percent of some 10,000 sex workers who work in Kamathipura area in downtown Bombay are HIV-positive.
A U.S. government report last year predicted the number of Indians with AIDS, including children and adults, could jump to 20 million or higher by 2010 -- a projection the Indian government rejects.
"I have so many friends who are [HIV] positive. . . . There's no way you should leave sick people to die," Gere told The Associated Press. "You've got to do everything you can to take care of sick people and also spend all your energy on prevention."
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