HIV awareness in young people- BBC survey and campaign

Levels of ignorance about HIV among young people are at an 'all-time high', warn health experts.

The BBC surveyed 1.500 young people aged 16 to 24 and more than half believe the myth that the HIV virus can be passed on by kissing, 47 per cent believe that it can be caught from toilet seats, and a similar number believe they are at 'no risk' of infection, despite nine out of ten rarely or never thinking about the virus when they have sex.

The Terrence Higgins Trust estimates that at least 400,000 people could have HIV by 2032.

The HIV awareness campaign will run across BBC outlets from 1 October 2007 until World AIDS Day on 1 December – launching with the BBC 2 documentary series, Stephen Fry: HIV And Me (Tuesday  October, 9pm), and featuring GI Jonny, an interactive online campaign aimed at informing teenagers and young adults about HIV

More information on GI Jonny