UN taps big names to promote HIV prevention _ Magic Johnson, Jacques Chirac, Chris Hughes

UN taps big names for HIV prevention panel

VIENNA — The U.N. AIDS agency has tapped some big names — including former basketball star Magic Johnson — to boost global efforts to prevent the spread of HIV.

Others on the UNAIDS commission include former French president Jacques Chirac, Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes and Nobel laureates scientist Francoise Barre-Sinoussi and former nuclear agency head Mohamed ElBaradei.

UNAIDS chief Michel Sidibe says the aim of the commission is to bring about a “prevention revolution” by influencing policymakers and others. More than 7,000 new HIV infections occur every day.

The commission was officially launched Wednesday at an AIDS conference that has drawn thousands of experts and activists to the Austrian capital.

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Online:

UNAIDS: www.unaids.org/en/default.asp

AIDS conference: www.aids2010.org/