World AIDS Day: Me, Myself and HIV

The 1st of December marks World AIDS Day, a day to commemorate those who have passed from AIDS, and it’s also about raising money, increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education in relation to the virus. Having started in 1988, World AIDS Day is a reminder that HIV can affect anyone; regardless of race, social class, sexuality and location and we want our JUICE readers to keep informed. MTV has also created an AIDS related documentary Me, Myself and HIV, a self narrated piece which explores how 2 young people living in very different environments, in both America and Zambia, and how they deal with being HIV positive and how the virus affects their everyday lifestyle choices, from dating to work and travel.

A first hand, unrestricted look to what it’s really like to be young and dealing with being HIV positive in 2010, Me, Myself and HIV drives home the message of how important it is to reduce the discrimination and stigma surrounding HIV. According to UNAIDS estimates, there are currently 33.3 million people living with HIV, including 2.5million children. Last year alone, 2.6 million people were newly affected with the virus and an estimated 1.8 million people died from it. It is up to you to educate yourself on the issue, on how HIV is transmitted and how to protect yourself against it.

Having partnered up with the Malaysian AIDS council, MTV online has included information on HIV testing, along with numbers for Malaysian help lines and web resources on how to get tested on www.mtvasia.com. Now in it’s 22nd year running, World AIDS Day should wake us all up and remind us that we can no longer shun those who are affected, and to increase our awareness of the virus. Me, Myself and HIV will be airing today, the 1st of December at 4pm on MTV, with replays throughout the week.

To see how else you can help donate, raise awareness and to educate yourself, head to www.worldaidsday.org, www.worldaidscampaign.org and www.mtvasia.com.