HHS, Ad Council Launch National PSA Campaign Urging Young African-American Men To Be Tested for HIV

The Advertising Council and HHS on Tuesday launched a national public service advertising campaign that aims to communicate the importance of HIV testing to young African-American men, according to an HHS/Ad Council release. Created pro bono by the ad agency VogtGoldstein, the television ads target African-American men between the ages of 13 and 28 and say that knowing one's HIV status is the first step to preventing the spread of the virus. The ads urge viewers to call the confidential, toll-free National AIDS Hotline -- 1-800-342-AIDS -- for more information about HIV testing, prevention and treatment. According to HHS, 50% of people newly infected with HIV in the United States are under age 25, and experts believe that 67% of new AIDS cases among teenagers occur among African Americans. "President Bush has aggressively supported increased access to prevention and treatment programs in minority communities and worked to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS in this country and abroad," HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson said, adding, "It is my hope that these public service announcements will be another tool in this fight and serve as a springboard for action by stressing the need for increased awareness and testing" (HHS release, 10/19). The PSAs can be viewed online.