New Global Study from M·A·C AIDS Fund Uncovers Surprising Reality That Disease Is Still Underestimated as a Global Killer.
Nine-country Survey Reveals More Than 40 Per Cent Do Not Understand AIDS Is Always Fatal.
Policy Experts Gather in New York to Discuss Survey’s Implications on Funding Programs.

NEW YORK, November 2007 – A new global study from the M·A·C AIDS Fund, the philanthropic arm of Estée Lauder-owned (NYSE: EL) M·A·C Cosmetics, shockingly reveals that after a quarter of a century of HIV and AIDS, nearly half of people still do not view the disease as a deadly affliction. Globally, more than 40 per cent of respondents do not understand that AIDS always results in fatality.

In a collusion of opinion and fact, this first-ever perception audit also found that 86 per cent of adults in the United States, U.K., France, Russia, China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa believe stigma and shame to be a contributor to the spread of HIV.  Seventy-six per cent report lack of access to treatment to be a problem as well.

“Today, more than 25 years after the emergence of the disease, it is startling to learn that facts about HIV/AIDS are still a guessing game for much of the world and that many are still in the dark about the undeniable reality that HIV/AIDS shockingly remains a top global killer,” said Nancy Mahon, Executive Director of the M·A·C AIDS Fund. “Social stigmas that plagued us then are still limiting progress now. Understanding the insights from this new survey, however, is what will help take us to the next level of policy, prevention and care in the fight against AIDS.”

To probe the “next level” in the solution to the global HIV/AIDS crisis, the M·A·C AIDS Fund gathered a group of policy experts, grassroots activists and fundraisers this morning in New York for a roundtable discussion, moderated by William Holstein, a business journalist who writes for the New York Times and other top publications and is president of the Overseas Press Club Foundation. The six-member panel – including Dr. Thomas Kenyon, Principal Deputy Coordinator and Chief Medical Officer in the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator; Jennifer Kates, vice president and director of HIV policy for the Kaiser Family Foundation; Dr. Geeta Rao Gupta, president of the International Center for Research on Women; Dr. Marsha Martin, director for HIV/AIDS programs in the Oakland, Calif. mayor’s office and a former HIV/AIDS administrator for the Washington, D.C. Department of Health; Anthony Rapp, star of Broadway musical and motion picture Rent; and Mahon – focused their discussion on three issue areas: access to treatment, stigma and shame and women.

“As we examine the findings of the M·A·C AIDS Fund survey, it is important to keep the broader context in mind – that only one in five people who needed treatment in 2006 received it; that countless people living with HIV have suffered violations of their basic human rights because of their status; and that today more women than ever before are living with HIV,” said Dr. Gupta. “It is only within that context that we can truly understand the devastating impact of the misperceptions that still persist, as well as benefits that can be achieved through accurate information.”

“HIV and AIDS is an issue that goes beyond the medical community, beyond even the policy community. It is a disease that has permeated the very social and cultural fabric of our lives,” said Rapp. “Today’s survey from the M·A·C AIDS Fund is helping to tell a personal story and give a voice to the people who are living with the disease every day.”

In addition to the panelists, other HIV/AIDS activists, community leaders and business leaders were on hand at the roundtable event.

John Demsey, Group President for the Estée Lauder Companies and Chairman of the M·A·C AIDS Fund said, “Today’s survey release and discussion is a testament to the position that the M·A·C AIDS Fund has taken in the fight against HIV and AIDS – challenging the status quo of the arena by asking tough, honest questions and always proposing new approaches to help find a solution.”

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A full summary of the survey is available.  Download

ABOUT THE M·A·C AIDS FUND
The M·A·C AIDS Fund (MAF), the heart and soul of M·A·C Cosmetics, was established in 1994 to support men, women and children affected by HIV/AIDS globally. MAF is a pioneer in HIV/AIDS funding, providing financial support to organizations working with underserved regions and populations. As the largest corporate non-pharmaceutical giver in the arena, MAF strives to raise awareness of four key issues in the fight against HIV/AIDS: prevention, the link between poverty and HIV/AIDS, access to care, and adherence to medications and treatments. To date MAF has raised $100 million (U.S.) exclusively through the sale of M·A·C’s VIVA GLAM Lipstick and Lipglass, donating 100 per cent of the sale price to fight HIV/AIDS.