Washington, DC -- In an effort to raise awareness of HIV among those at risk in India, Amita Vyas, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Prevention and Community Health at the GW School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS), joined Hollywood actress Ashley Judd and YouthAIDS/Population Services International (PSI) on a mission to Mumbai, India. With a population of more than one billion, India is home to the world*s largest number of HIV-infected persons, with estimates of at least 5.7 million people in India infected with HIV. 

The National Geographic Channel filmed this Indian mission, which will air as an hour-long special on World AIDS Day, December 1, 2007, in more than 170 countries and will be seen by more than 200 million households around the world. The documentary, starring Ashley Judd and Bollywood actress Sushmita Sen, focuses on the complex relationships between women*s rights and empowerment related to HIV. Women and children are increasingly becoming vulnerable to HIV/AIDS, and it estimated that 38 percent of infected persons in India are women. The male-to-female ratio of HIV-infected people has shifted in recent years. In 2001, there were 55 HIV-infected females to every 100 HIV-infected males. Just four years later in 2005, it was reported there were 60 HIV-infected females to every 100 HIV-infected males. This indicates the increasing feminization of HIV/AIDS in India. *The empowerment of girls and women is an essential tool for preventing the HIV/AIDS emergency from exploding any further,* Ashley Judd told reporters in India. 

The delegation spent one week in Mumbai, India*s financial capital and home to Bollywood, a Hindi language film industry in India.  Dr. Vyas visited and spoke with commercial sex workers in Kamthipura. She also spent time in Dharvi, the largest slum in Asia, and she observed PSI/India*s HIV prevention programs, such as street theater, help lines and social marketing of condoms. Dr. Vyas spent time at voluntary counseling and testing centers for sex workers and their male clients. Approximately 5,000 sex workers reside in Mumbai, and an estimated 45 percent of them are HIV positive.

The mission was complimented with a series of high-level meetings and receptions with Mumbai*s corporate leaders and members of the entertainment industry to develop creative partnerships in the prevention of HIV. *Public-private partnerships are the key to combating public health issues such as HIV in India.  The Indian-American community has the power and potential to join forces in a meaningful way to build the capacity of NGOs in India who are saving lives,* said Dr. Vyas. *We need to be *smart* donors and provide support for evidence-based programs in the public health sector of India.  We have the ability, resources and, most importantly, the compassion and courage to make a difference.*

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