HIV/AIDS

just got this email - so I am passing it on to you:

John Parsons
Dr John's Health File


Hello John,

Did you know that 25% of all new HIV infections in the U.S. occur among teens 12-19
years of age (CDC, Atlanta)? Or that 50% of all new HIV infections globally are
among youth 15-24 year olds (UNAIDS, Geneva)?

These shocking statistics prompted TeenAIDS-PeerCorp, an international non-profit,
to sponsor their first-ever "Webathon", which uses social media to educate teens
around the world about HIV/AIDS prevention.

Unlike traditional telethons and webathons that focus on raising funds, the sole
purpose of the TeenAIDS Webathon is to educate vulnerable youth, the majority of
whom are sexually active by age sixteen. Young people are being encouraged to
spread life-saving HIV prevention information by pledging to communicate with
friends and peers using the social media of their choice. They post or forward short
educational alerts and then report the total number of youth contacted to the
Webathon's website: www.teenaids.org. The goal is one million pledges by March 31,
2011.

Dr. Chittick, founder of TeenAids-PeerCorp, explained, "Social media has the ability
to connect an entire generation on issues of critical importance (such as protecting
friends from HIV/AIDS) before it is too late. This kind of grassroots outreach on a
global scale would have been impossible ten years ago. Now it is the model for all
future humanitarian campaigns involving youth, and it involves virtually no cost."

The Webathon is the main feature of TeenAIDS' fifth annual Global Webcast that will
be seen on World AIDS Day-Wednesday, December 1. The three-hour Webathon begins at
11 AM (EST / GMT-5). It will be repeated at 3 PM and archived on their
website-http://www.teenaids.org/- for continuous viewing.

Currently no vaccine exists to prevent HIV infection and although some palliative
medicines are available to help those living with AIDS, a cure is still years away.

"Peer-to-peer communication is the most effective prevention tool to combat HIV/AIDS
and youth volunteers are the best messengers," Dr. Chittick said. "With school
health budgets cut to the bone in these tough economic times, it is up to teens to
take the campaign into their own hands - literally, using the social media tools at
their fingertips."Chittick credited hundreds of youth volunteers for creating a vast
network. He also credited major business support for making the Global Webathon and
Webcast possible: Onstream Media of Pompano Beach, Florida for global webcast
facilities; MotionOne Studios of Virginia Beach, Virginia for the studio;
DCIteleport for additional satellite time and Newman Communications of Allston,
Massachusetts for major PR.

Dr. Chittick, a former lecturer on AIDS at Harvard, recently concluded a ten-year
Global AIDS Walk to 85 countries that trained 350,000 peer outreach volunteers.

Please let me know if you would like more information about TeenAIDS-Corps Webathon
or to speak with Dr. John Chittick.

Any support is appreciated.

All the best,
Megan