Botswana's Government Distributes Videos in Battle Against AIDS

Botswana's government launched a series of informational videos Tuesday aimed at informing the public about free AIDS drugs and prevention of the disease. About 19 percent, or 323,000, of Botswana's 1.7 million people are infected with HIV, but 38 percent of its adults are infected -- the highest rate in the world. This diamond-rich southern African nation is the first country on the continent to commit to a widespread program of providing AIDS medicine through its public health system. Botswana is receiving some program funding from Merck & Co. and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The videos, which are being distributed to 120 hospitals and clinics, are intended to help end the stigma that prevents many in the nation from being tested. They show how to use condoms, how to be tested for the disease, and how to access AIDS drugs. "People will only understand that HIV/AIDS is around when they see a person in that situation," said Tiny Mmotlano, who is HIV-positive and appears in one of the videos.

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