Positively Aware magazine releases special World AIDS Day edition

Chicago, Illinois – October 23, 2008 – In commemoration of World AIDS Day, the November/December issue of Positively Aware magazine takes a look at some of the individuals who are making a difference in the fight against HIV. World AIDS Day takes place every year on December 1, with leadership as this year’s theme.

PA hears from three individuals working in the HIV community about what leadership means to them, including Stephen Lewis, author and co-director of AIDS Free World and former United Nations Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa; Julie Davids, the founding executive director of Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project (CHAMP); and Heidi Nass, a national HIV treatment advocate and woman living with HIV.

“Although it’s easy enough to be a self appointed leader, I believe the HIV/AIDS movement needs leaders who are effective in two ways,” says Davids, “by their actions, and by their commitment to bringing out the leadership in others.”

The issue also features a profile of YouthAIDS ambassador Seane Corn, who’s featured on the cover. Corn, a nationally celebrated yoga instructor known for her passionate, dynamic, and inspirational style of teaching that incorporates both the physical and spiritual aspects of the yoga practice, has made it her mission to educate others on the HIV/AIDS crisis, and to help reduce the fear, ignorance, and discrimination often associated with HIV/AIDS.

Also in this issue: an update from the XVII International AIDS Conference, which took place in Mexico City earlier this year; a report on what’s known—and not known—about cardiovascular disease in HIV; and a closer look at the controversy, raised by a recent statement issued by a panel of Swiss experts, on whether having undetectable HIV viral load translates to a significant reduction in the transmission of HIV.

Positively Aware is an internationally known and respected magazine devoted to HIV treatment and health. Positively Aware has a circulation of 85,000, and is published bi-monthly by Test Positive Aware Network (TPAN) in Chicago. Founded in 1987, TPAN is Chicago’s oldest peer-led AIDS service organization and specializes in peer-led treatment information and support services. Visit www.tpan.com.