Condom maker donates 100,000 condoms for New York HIV prevention campaign (15934)

Ansell Healthcare Products has donated 100,000 Lifestyle brand condoms for distribution through a New York City HIV prevention campaign. The condoms will be offered in hundreds of Manhattan bars, clubs, and restaurants and will include stickers on the wrappers that show the location of a nearby free and confidential HIV antibody testing center.

The condoms are being offered through the "I Know" campaign, which focuses on fighting HIV among city youth through street events and a new Web site, at www.iknow.tv. A 30-second national HIV prevention TV spot also is being planned, says campaign organizer Michael Franzini. The condoms can be bought with a penny or with a special copper coin circulated during the past few weeks by volunteers with the "I Know" campaign.

"If you have sex, using a condom is the most effective way to stop transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases," said New York assistant health commissioner Scott Kellerman in a press release announcing the condom campaign. "It's critically important to get back to the basics: Use a condom during sexual intercourse, and know your status--get tested for HIV. Taking these simple steps can help us win the war on HIV and AIDS."

The "I Know" campaign is sponsored by the MAC AIDS Fund, the charitable arm of MAC Cosmetics. The MAC AIDS Fund, founded in 1994, supports more than 600 organizations worldwide and has raised more than $44 million for HIV research, treatment, and care.