At Davos, MTV President William Roedy Urges Businesses to Step Up Fight Against AIDS
MTV Networks President William Roedy attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to "challenge" the global business community to "confront AIDS" and become more involved in the fight against the disease, Newsweek/MSNBC.com reports. Roedy, chair of the Global Business Council on HIV and AIDS, said that business "has been totally inadequate in its efforts" to stem the spread of HIV, an unfortunate shortfall because "[n]ot only is (doing more) the right thing to do, but there are business reasons for doing more, too. In countries with high infection rates, not only is AIDS devastating to GNP, but also to business." MTV using its distribution platform to reach nearly a billion people with messages about HIV prevention, Roedy said. "Over half of all new HIV infections are among people 25 years old or younger, so for us, tragically, that fits our audience completely. We can help to equip our audience with the knowledge and information to prevent transmission," Roedy said. He also called for more coverage of AIDS in Africa, saying that the issue is arguably "the most under-reported epidemic in history, considering the number of people affected." Due to new HIV treatments, AIDS in Africa "is off the map for Hollywood," but "what people don't know is that treatment often does not work ... comes with terrible consequences ... [and] has exacerbated the complacency" with regard to high-risk behaviors. Furthermore, treatment is "just too expensive" in sub-Saharan Africa, home to 70% of the world's HIV-positive individuals. But Roedy added, "[I]t's not all doom and gloom. Even though the complacency is still very severe, at least dialogue seems to be increasing, particularly among important constituencies ... [like] the U.N. Security Council" (McGuire, Newsweek/MSNBC.com, 1/31).
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