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MEDIA ADVISORY – July 9, 2002
- The United Nations warns that HIV/AIDS in Asia is on the verge of breaking out from high-risk groups into the general population. What can be done to stop it?
- Half the world’s people live in Asia. India alone has nearly twice the population of sub-Saharan Africa. What are the implications of even a modest increase in the AIDS rate in populations in the billions?
- Asia is far more industrialized and economically engaged globally than Africa. How could the world’s economies be affected by AIDS in Asia, and how can the workplace be leveraged in the fight against AIDS?
BARCELONA -- “The AIDS epidemic is an economic and demographic time bomb in Asia. Without heavy and immediate investment in prevention, infection rates could explode,” said Dr. Milton Amayun, World Vision’s senior AIDS program representative and is a delegate at the AIDS 2002 Conference in Barcelona July 7-12. Unlike Africa which accounts for just 1 percent of world trade, Asia’s economies are inter-linked with the global market; among the top 50 purchasers of U.S. exports, for example, 11 are in Asia, just one in Africa. Asia’s economic engagements creates dangers - and opportunities. In Cambodia, for example, World Vision is training peer educators to educate their coworkers at local factories for Nike and The Gap.
WHO: Dr. Milton Amayun is World Vision International’s Senior HIV/AIDS Program Representative and Advisor. In a career that has spanned more than two decades, he has worked and designed programs throughout Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe. Amayun holds a Master of Public Health from Harvard University and a doctor of medicine degree from the University of the Philippines.
WHEN: Tuesday, July 9
WHERE: By phone from Barcelona
WHAT: The international humanitarian organization World Vision, which has been
tackling the AIDS issue on the ground since 1990, will have 11 representatives at Barcelona, including three physicians and one nurse-midwife. Several staff will be presenters.
CONTACTS: Gardi Wilks (708) 366-8389; giwilks@aol.com
Sheryl Watkins (253) 815-2246 office; 888-787-3056 pager
Founded in 1950, World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization, serving the world's poorest children and families in nearly 100 countries.
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