German magazine prints latest issue in HIV-positive blood
“Vangardist believes it is essential that conversations around this topic are reignited.”
–German lifestyle magazine Vangardist, in a press release. The magazine has printed 3,000 copies of the issue using ink containing HIV-positive blood, in an effort to engage readers to discuss HIV more openly. The ink is “100% safe” with no risk of infection.
“Despite 30 years of campaigning, activism and research, HIV remains the 6th biggest cause of death in the world,” the press release stated. “Yet for many people the virus is seen as ‘old news’, with discussion and debate relegated to just one or two days a year when key communities and organisations around the world force the issue back onto the news agenda. With NGOs and Governments alike all acknowledging that the social stigma surrounding the disease remains one of the key factors preventing effective management, and ultimately the eradication of the virus, Vangardist believes it is essential that conversations around this topic are reignited.”
“The editorial team at Vangardist is committed to dealing with a wide variety of topics affecting our readers,” Vangardist’s CEO Julian Wiehl added. “We believe that as a lifestyle magazine it is our responsibility to address the issues shaping society today. With 80% more confirmed cases of HIV being recorded in 2013 than 10 years previously, and an estimated 50% of HIV cases being detected late due to lack of testing caused by social stigma associated with the virus. This felt like a very relevant issue for us to focus on not just editorially but also from a broader communications stand point.”
Source: PinkNews
Image Credits: Saatchi & Saatchi, Vangardist
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