*This is an archive page. The links are no longer being updated. 1994.01.04 : Prevention Marketing Initiative for HIV and STDs Date: January 4, 1994 EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE, 10:30 a.m. EST Contact: CDC Press Office Prevention Marketing Initiative for HIV and STDs HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala today announced the first steps in a new initiative designed to prevent the sexual transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among young people. The Prevention Marketing Initiative, coordinated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is being kicked off with a series of new public service announcements (PSAs) for radio-and television. The ads target young people at increased risk for HIV infection -- sexually active men and women between the ages of 18 to 25. The PSAs deliver two main HIV prevention messages: to protect yourself and others, refrain from sexual activity; if you are sexually active, use latex condoms consistently and correctly. "Young people need to know that the surest way to prevent AIDS is to refrain from having sex, but we also need to be realistic," Shalala said. "By age 20, 86 percent of young men and 77 percent of young women report having had intercourse, according to the CDC. Our duty as public health officials is to save lives," Shalala added. The announcements are the most visible, but not the only, component of the CDC's transformed and reinvigorated HIV/AIDS prevention effort. The initiative will also provide technical assistance to local prevention efforts. It will engage government at all levels in a partnership with religious, business, educational and community groups to devise and share prevention strategies. And it will include a community planning process to allow individual communities to reach out to persons most at risk and help them change risky behavior. "We must break through the denial that all too often leads to risky behavior," said Shalala. "The Clinton administration will provide strong leadership, but everyone has a role: parents, educators, religious and community leaders, state and local officials, and members of the news and entertainment media, among others," she said. As evidence of the new partnership, representatives from more than 110 national, religious and community-based organizations attended the kick-off in Washington. These included the AIDS Action Council, the United Way, the National Council of La Raza, the National Minority AIDS Council, the National Community AIDS Partnership, and the Episcopal AIDS Coalition. As further evidence of the new partnership, Shalala announced commitments from major broadcast and cable networks to broadcast the new PSAs. "I applaud these broadcasters for their vision," she said, adding that ABC will begin airing one of the new condom spots tonight (January 4) during prime time. CDC Director Dr. David Satcher said the initiative is targeting young people because AIDS has become a leading cause of death among them. Although young people know the facts about HIV and AIDS, many have not changed their behavior. "Of the 12 million new cases of STDs each year, two-thirds occur in people under 25 years of age," Dr. Satcher said. "These numbers cause great concern, because the behaviors that put people at risk for STDs are the same behaviors that put them at risk for HIV," Dr. Satcher added. The kick-off also included presentations by Dr. Satcher; Kristine Gebbie, the national AIDS policy coordinator; Dr. James W. Curran, the CDC's associate director for HIV/AIDS; and Denise Stokes, a peer educator who also appears in two of the new PSAS. In addition, U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders lent her support for the initiative as keynote speaker at a luncheon for members of the participating organizations. The experts agreed that while refraining from sexual activity is the best way to avoid the sexual transmission of HIV, those who are sexually active can significantly reduce their risk of infection by using latex condoms consistently and correctly. Dr. Curran cited a recent study of couples where one partner was HIV infected and the other was not. "Among the 123 couples who used condoms correctly and consistently over a two-year period, not a single one of the uninfected partners became infected," Dr. Curran said. "This scientific evidence substantiates what we've been saying for years -- that latex condoms work extremely well when used correctly and consistently," Dr. Curran added. "We recognize the difficulties associated with educating young people about this disease," said Paul Kawata, executive director of the National Minority AIDS Council. "We must work to communicate these HIV prevention messages to bridge the gap between general awareness and behavior change, especially in communities of color," he added. Dan Bross, executive director of the AIDS Action Council, added: "We wholeheartedly endorse this campaign and stand ready to assist CDC in the battle against the spread of HIV." As the nation's disease prevention agency within the U.S. Public Health Service, Atlanta-based CDC has the responsibility to provide Americans with accurate scientific information to help them reduce the risk of contracting HIV. To that end, the CDC has produced a short, step-by-step brochure to help people develop the skills necessary to use condoms correctly. Single copies of the brochure are available free by phoning the CDC's National AIDS Hotline at 1-800-342-AIDS. ###