Swiss HIV
prevention ad features naked athletes

A new HIV prevention campaign launched in Switzerland features images of naked athletes who are playing ice hockey and fencing, suggesting that while most people realize participating in such sports without protection is dangerous, the same principle holds true of having unprotected sex, BBC News reports. The ads convey the same-sex message "No action without protection," say campaign organizers. "We want to tell people that, just like ice hockey or fencing, you don't have sex naked. You should wear a condom," Roger Staub, head of the Swiss Health Office's AIDS prevention section, told the news service. Health officials say proactive HIV prevention and education campaigns have helped dramatically slash Switzerland's HIV infection rate from high levels seen in the 1980s and 1990s. About 700 Swiss people were newly infected with HIV since July 2005, health officials say. (The Advocate)