Washington, D.C., July 31, 2008 – Voice of America (VOA) is sending a team of 18 journalists to the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, August 3-8, to provide comprehensive coverage of the disease around the world.
"AIDS has had a devastating impact throughout the world," said VOA Director Danforth W. Austin. "AIDS' continuing toll, particularly in Africa, makes it more important than ever that we broadcast the latest, accurate news and information about its prevention and treatment."
Special programming from Mexico City will include television reports on Duniya (The World) in Hindi, Beyond the Headlines in Urdu, El Mundo al Día (The World Today) in Spanish, Straight Talk Africa and Healthy Living in English, and Today's Woman in Persian.
In addition, VOA's Spanish Service has created a webpage with information on HIV/AIDS in Latin America at www.VOANews.com/spanish/Sida-2008.cfm.
VOA journalists in Mexico City will represent 13 of VOA's 45 language services. At VOA headquarters in Washington D.C., broadcasters will supplement coverage with special stories, interviews and question-and-answer sessions with experts.
The international conference, held annually in a different venue, is designed to allow experts to present new scientific research and gather for discussions on new ways of confronting the challenges of HIV/AIDS.
The Voice of America, which first went on the air in 1942, is a multimedia international broadcasting service funded by the U.S. government through the Broadcasting Board of Governors. VOA (www.VOANews.com) broadcasts more than 1,250 hours of news, information, educational, and cultural programming every week to an estimated worldwide audience of more than 134 million people. Programs are produced in 45 languages.
For more information, call the Office of Public Affairs at (202) 203-4959, or e-mail publicaffairs@voa.gov.