# AIDS2018: MTV Shuga Launches New HIV Prevention and Screening Campaigns



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Unitaid, the MTV Staying Alive Foundation (MTV SAF) and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine announced a three-year partnership to introduce and evaluate scenarios on innovation HIV, including HIV self-testing and preventative medications. in the award-winning MTV Shuga drama series

The program is designed to help millions of young viewers in French and English speaking Africa to protect themselves from HIV

This follows the recent release of MTV Shuga Season 6 "MTV Shuga Naija "on MTV Base (DStv 322 channel) earlier this year.

The effort, unveiled at the 22nd International Conference on AIDS, will cover Southern Africa and West Africa's Francophone region and deliver three new TV series from MTV Shuga. multimedia campaign that promotes badual health. The enhanced program will target hard-to-reach populations, particularly those aged 15 to 24

The new MTV Shuga campaigns will be rolled out in South Africa and Côte d'Ivoire between 2018 and 2020.

both countries are starting this year. The South African season will offer another installment of "MTV Shuga: Down South" to be broadcast in the first half of 2019, followed by two seasons in Ivory Coast.

MTV Shuga merges striking scenarios with badual health messages to influence the attitudes and behavior of viewers. The "Ludo-Educational" campaign also includes: A radio soap opera that develops the MTV Shuga stories, print, digital and social media activities, and peer education programs that challenge stigma and barriers to young people's badual health. prevention and testing, preventive medications known as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), HIV self-test and HIV treatment – aim to show young people how to protect themselves from the virus and seek treatment .

The leading cause of death among 10-24 year olds in Africa, advocates for innovations and investments that place high priority on this age group.

Lelio Marmora, Executive Director of Unitaid said: "Millions of people in Africa Watch MTV Shuga Our partnership with MTV Staying Alive gives us a tremendous opportunity to reach young people who have no reliable health information and empowering them to take care of their health, including testing themselves Alex Okosi, executive vice president and general manager of Viacom International Media Networks Africa and BET International said: "MTV Shuga is a powerful campaign that educates and empowers our young people through a variety of issues that matter to them." At VIMN Africa, we are proud to have participated in the development of MTV Shuga since its inception and to continue to support the campaign through our network as we expand the series into new markets. "

Georgia Arnold, Executive Director of the MTV Staying Alive Foundation and Ex Producer With the advent of developments such as HIVST and PrEP, we have a unique opportunity to make real changes in young people's lives. Pursuing a multiplatform approach for MTV Shuga helps us reach young people in all aspects of their lives and encourages ongoing dialogue in the global fight against HIV. "

Professor Peter Piot, Director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine" We are delighted to work with the MTV Staying Alive Foundation by conducting studies in South Africa and Costa Rica. Ivory to evaluate the impact of MTV Shuga on the increase in demand and adoption of HIV and PrEP self-testing. Due to its wide reach and popular appeal in Africa, MTV Shuga has the potential to stimulate awareness and demand for prevention and treatment services, especially for young women and men, among whom the risk of HIV remains high. "

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