AFEW: For journalists >> Knowledge for Health - Easily Accessible Information on HIV/AIDS

Knowledge for Health - Easily Accessible Information on HIV/AIDS
www.afew.org

As World AIDS Day (1 December) approaches, AIDS Foundation East-West (AFEW) is proud to announce its new bilingual website, which provides up-to-date information on HIV/AIDS in the Newly Independent States (NIS) of the former Soviet Union.

International experts from UNAIDS and the World Health Organisation agree that the countries of the NIS are currently experiencing the fastest growing HIV/AIDS epidemics in the world. For example, leading experts expect that by 2005, the number of cases in the Russian Federation alone will reach 5 million. The rapid increase in the number of cases, combined with a lack of reliable information on HIV/AIDS related topics, prompted AFEW to create a new website that could play the role of an information centre.

The AFEW website was designed to provide up-to-date HIV/AIDS related information to Russian and English speaking audiences. The information provided in each language is tailored to their specific needs.

The Russian language section provides a wide range of resources for health professionals, policy makers, officials and non-governmental organisations who may not otherwise have access to such information. The AFEW website has one of the largest collections of Russian language materials (i.e., over 3 000 pages) on HIV/AIDS.

The English language section is designed to provide information and links relevant to HIV/AIDS in all regions of the NIS. This section is aimed at helping to promote awareness and to provide information about the epidemic in the region for an international audience.

Both versions contain information on AFEW's programme activities for a general audience. AFEW's current activities include HIV prevention and health promotion among injecting drug users; prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV; HIV/AIDS counselling; mass media campaigns on safer sex and solidarity with people living with HIV/AIDS; HIV prevention and health promotion in prisons; HIV prevention and health promotion among sex workers; and, advocacy. AFEW sees its website as one of the ways that it can make a major contribution to the reduction of the impact of HIV/AIDS in the NIS.

Recognising that journalists have an important role to play in promoting awareness regarding the HIV/AIDS situation in their countries, AFEW also designed its website to serve as a reliable source of information for media representatives. The latest HIV/AIDS related news, useful contacts and links are available for journalists, as well as information focussing on World AIDS Day (1 December) and its official theme of reducing stigma and discrimination towards people living with HIV/AIDS, 'Live and let live'.

The Open Society Institute generously provided financial support for the creation of the website's library.

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