As part of its partnership with (RED), Durex has created a film conveying the shocking stat that every 18 seconds, one person is newly infected with HIV. The film features eight individuals who are living with HIV, including Sue from UK, Alco, 43 from Holland and Harun, 32 from Turkey, and aims to highlight that with 1.7 million men, women and children newly infected with HIV in 2018, the fight to end AIDS is far from over.
The number of new infections in the Philippines has more than doubled between 2013 through 2018, as 13,000 people are newly infected each year in the country. This has led Durex Philippines to launch a local campaign #AlwaysComePrepared to curb the rising HIV infection growth rate through an HIV advocacy campaign that educates on the importance of protection, through fun yet timely social media content, articles, call centers and university tours where HIV-related talks, factsheet distribution and HIV testing is conducted.
Globally, the new Durex RED campaign is calling for people around the world to show their support by sharing the film using #DurexRED. The public can also show their support by purchasing a Durex RED bundle on Lazada, where a portion of funds raised from each sale will go directly towards a program in South Africa, where 7.7 million people are currently living with HIV.
The campaign is part of a three-year partnership between Durex and (RED), which will raise a minimum of $5m for the Global Fund via the Durex RED partnership. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will match Durex’s $5m contribution, taking the total to a minimum of $10 million.
Ben Wilson, Global Category Director, Durex, said: “This provocative statistic highlights why we’ve joined forces with (RED), to provide an opportunity for everyone to play a role in helping end AIDS. Around the world, 36% of sexually active people are taking risks by having sex without using protection against STIs . Not only is our mission to help protect them, but through this vital partnership, we hope to make a huge difference to young women who are disproportionately affected by this devastating disease in South Africa.”
