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Pamela Anderson Urges World to Get Tested for HIV

6/23/05

Pamela Anderson, M.A.C VIVA GLAM V Spokesperson, Urges the World to Get Tested for HIV in a Radio Public Service Announcement Premiering June 27 - National HIV Testing Day 40 Million People are Infected with HIV/AIDS Worldwide and 95% of Those Infected Don't Know It

Anderson States in the Public Service Announcement 'More People Tested Means Less People Infected,' and 'Know Your Status to Help Stop the Spread of HIV/AIDS'

NEW YORK, June 23 /PRNewswire/ -- M.A.C AIDS Fund (MAF), the charitable arm of M.A.C Cosmetics, announces today the worldwide debut of a Radio Public Service Announcement (RPSA) featuring M.A.C VIVA GLAM V Spokesperson, Pamela Anderson, urging people to get tested for HIV/AIDS. MAF will officially launch the RPSA on Monday, June 27th, declared as National HIV Testing Day, by the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA-US). This nationally recognized annual campaign promotes the importance of HIV testing and counseling. HIV/AIDS is preventable and 95% of people infected with the HIV virus worldwide don't know they have it.

M.A.C VIVA GLAM superstar Pamela Anderson has adopted the importance of getting tested, getting results, and making informed healthcare decisions as her platform for the M.A.C VIVA GLAM V Campaign and advocates this in the RPSA. Pamela Anderson and MAF encourage everyone to make HIV testing a part of their regular healthcare routine and fully support the National HIV Testing Day annual campaign, its message and importance.

"It was personally important for me to participate in the National HIV Testing Day RPSA with M.A.C AIDS Fund since Getting Tested is my platform for the VIVA GLAM campaign. HIV/AIDS is a preventable disease, but if you don't know your HIV status you can unknowingly pass it along to others. Our greatest defense against the spread of HIV is to know our status and the only way to know is to GET TESTED! A lot of people wonder how they can make a difference; getting tested and buying a M.A.C VIVA GLAM lipstick can really make a difference around the world. So do your part and GET TESTED this Monday, National HIV Testing Day. It's quick and easy and it can make a difference." -- Pam Anderson

Pamela Anderson Interview Q&A

Q: Tell us about what you are doing with the M.A.C VIVA GLAM Campaign and this Public Service Announcement for National HIV Testing Day.

A: I have been working with VIVA GLAM for a while now, the M.A.C AIDS Fund, I think its great and we've raised a lot of money with the selling of the lipstick. This is part of the GET TESTED platform that I wanted to get involved in, National HIV Testing Day is coming up, the 27th, June 27th and I just want to support them as much as possible because there is no cure for AIDS the only thing we can do is prevent it by not passing it around and I think they only way to know is to GET TESTED. In fact I was tested and found out I have Hepatitis C and I think the worst thing in the world for me would be to pass it onto somebody else, so I just think it's the only responsible choice is to know our health and be responsible for our own health and bodies and the people that we love and try to remove a little bit of the stigma associated with it. AIDS is not just a gay man's disease, it's women and children and people that are dying form AIDS all over the place and I think that it's just really important to stop the spread of it since there is no cure.

Q: Tell us about the M.A.C VIVA GLAM Lipstick.

A: M.A.C AIDS Fund is a worldwide organization, I can buy even one VIVA GLAM lipstick and it can medicate a woman in Africa for an entire month. And they [The M.A.C AIDS Fund] support people living with the disease which I think is great, the money isn't necessarily going to research its going to caring for people and a better quality of life for people living with the disease and their children and childcare and the meals and services all the good services that they have for all these people that are living with the disease which I think is just as important for us.

Q: How involved are you with the M.A.C VIVA GLAM Campaign and National HIV Testing Day?

A: Well I've always found that with charity events and charity things a lot of people go to charity events to maybe get their pictures taken or I think a lot of times you don't even know what you are going for and this was something really close to my heart because of having Hepatitis C and feeling empowered by knowing my health status. I thought more people should do this and so I feel connected to it. And you know like with PETA that something that I have done my whole life and I just saw the awareness and I saw the change that I have been able to make and with Hepatitis C the American Liver Foundation said that four times that amount of people were getting tested since I came out and said I had Hepatitis C and you know I am hoping to make a difference with this as well. And I think they're [M.A.C] clever. M.A.C is terrific it's such a generous sincere company and John Demsey I talked to him and it was like you know I know where the money is going I know that they are making a difference and they are just great people to work with they are just very sincere.

Q: How did you feel when you told your test results for Hepatitis C were positive?

A: Well you know I don't think its ever good news to hear that you are positive for Hepatitis C or AIDS, but there is life after, knowing your health status and its empowering and I think it's the only thing we can do I mean we don't want to pass it onto others since there is no cure um the only thing we can do is prevent it. I think it's just a responsible thing and not to be afraid of it and to feel empowered by knowing your health status instead of being afraid and I just think it's a positive thing.

Q: What would you like to tell everyone on June 27th?

A: Get tested June 27th, its National HIV Testing Day, I am going to get tested again, it's been a year so me and my girlfriends are going to do it and um that's it it's easy as that. SOURCE M.A.C Cosmetics

Many places offer HIV testing including local health departments, private doctors' offices, hospitals, and sites specifically set up to provide HIV testing. It is important to get tested at a place that also provides counseling about HIV and AIDS. Counselors can answer any questions that might arise, help understand the meaning of the test results and provide information about local AIDS-related resources. Many places now offer the Rapid HIV Antibody Test that can give results in 5-60 minutes with a simple fingerstick sample of blood.

According to NAPWA-US, across the country on National HIV Testing Day (NHTD), thousands of HIV counseling and testing sites, state and local health departments, and community-based HIV/AIDS service providers will participate in NHTD events, by holding health fairs, providing community and media outreach, hosting special testing-related events or operating extended hours. HIV tests are quick and easy, and at some clinics they are free or can be paid for on a sliding scale, based on income.

In the three RPSA spots (:60, :30 and :15 seconds) Anderson explains that many things can happen in 60 seconds. An estimated three million people worldwide die of AIDS every year which translates to six people dying of AIDS every 60 seconds. Another thing that can happen in 60 seconds is taking an HIV test. She concludes with the reminder that HIV/AIDS has no cure, but its spread can be prevented by getting tested. She then refers listeners to the National AIDS Hotline 800-342-AIDS (2437) and the MAF Website for testing information. The RPSA debuts in America in June and will air internationally thereafter.

M.A.C VIVA GLAM products (Lipstick and Lipglass) are the primary funding sources for the M.A.C AIDS Fund, from which 100 percent of the sales benefit men, women and children affected by HIV/AIDS. To date the fund has raised over $47 million USD. In just one month after announcing Pamela Anderson as the newest face of VIVA GLAM, almost $1.4 million USD was generated for the M.A.C AIDS Fund.

The M.A.C AIDS Fund

The M.A.C AIDS Fund provides vital support to men, women and children living with HIV and AIDS. Founded in 1994 by M.A.C Cosmetics, the fund has raised more than $47 million through the sales of the VIVA GLAM lipstick collection, Kids Helping Kids Cards and the M.A.C Deck of Cards. The proceeds are distributed to organizations worldwide that provide direct care services and daily essentials to those afflicted with HIV/AIDS, and that offer HIV/AIDS education, awareness and prevention programs and support the elimination of prejudice and discrimination against HIV/AIDS-affected individuals. 100% of the selling price of VIVA GLAM goes to the M.A.C AIDS Fund and are directed to local and geographic regions where the need for HIV-related care and services are greatest. For more information about the M.A.C AIDS Fund, log on to http://www.macaidsfund.org

M.A.C (Make-up Art Cosmetics)

M.A.C, the leading brand of professional cosmetics, was created in Toronto, Canada in 1985 and is now part of The Estee Lauder Companies. The company's popularity has grown through a tradition of word-of-mouth endorsement from makeup artists, models, photographers and journalists around the world. M.A.C products are sold in more than 46 countries worldwide. For a M.A.C location or information on our products and services, visit http://www.maccosmetics.com, the recently redesigned site that makes the M.A.C online experience simpler, more informational and faster for the user.