Features

To create discussion around HIV and AIDS, German magazine prints copies with ink infused with HIV+ blood

Written by : TNM

In an attempt to tackle the stigma attached to HIV and AIDS, the Vangardist Magazine, a German men's monthly, has launched a new campaign by printing 3,000 copies of the issue with ink infused with HIV+ blood.The blood used with the ink has been donated by three HIV + persons.According to the magazine, all the 3,000 copies have been produced in compliance with stringent controls and using processes developed according to guidelines established by Harvard and Innsbruck University, which ensures that the physical copy of the magazines carries no risk of infection, and is 100 percent safe.According to a report by CBS News, Julian Wiehl, Publisher and CEO of Vangardist, in the opening pages of the magazine writes, "If you're holding the 'infected' print edition in your hands right now, you'll get into contact with HIV like never before....It will make you reflect on HIV and you will think differently afterward. Because now the issue is in your hands."Image source:  HIV Heroes/FacebookThe special edition will feature stories of people living with the HIV virus and the magazine aims at creating a discussion around an issue that "remains the 6th biggest cause of death in the world.""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,” said Wiehl in a statement published by Saatchi and Saatchi, the advertising firm with which the magazine has unveiled the campaign.      

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