AEGiS-WSJ: U.S. Launches HIV-Prevention Campaign

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2009. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

U.S. Launches HIV-Prevention Campaign

Wall Street Journal - April 7, 2009
Betsy Mckay

The federal government is launching a national campaign to prevent HIV infection, moving to improve prevention efforts against an epidemic that continues to spread at home as well as overseas, officials announced.

In a news conference Tuesday, officials from the Obama administration and the Department of Health and Human Services said the five-year campaign, called Act Against AIDS, would largely target African-Americans, Latino populations and other groups most at risk. The campaign will be led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The move comes several months after the CDC revised statistics showing the annual rate of HIV infection in the U.S. to be far higher than previously thought. Roughly 56,000 people become infected with HIV every year domestically, according to the new CDC statistics, compared with a previous annual estimate of 40,000 new cases a year. About 14,000 people die of AIDS annually in the U.S.

While African-Americans make up only 12% of the U.S. population, they represent nearly half of new HIV infections and AIDS deaths every year, the CDC said. Many of those at the highest risk of HIV infection don't realize the level of risk they face or believe that HIV is no longer a serious health threat, according to officials.

The first phase of the new campaign will be an awareness message aimed at the general public emphasizing that one American becomes infected with HIV every 9 minutes, officials said. Messages will be delivered through online banner, transit and radio ads, as well as online videos.

While the U.S. government spends billions of dollars on HIV/AIDS domestically each year, only 4% of its budget is currently devoted to prevention efforts, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis.

The CDC said it is enlisting the help of the Kaiser foundation to disseminate its message through major media and entertainment outlets. The agency has also formed a partnership with several African-American organizations to help it get its message out. They include 100 Black Men of America, the National Urban League and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Write to Betsy McKay at betsy.mckay@wsj.com

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