Bermuda has joined the Pan-Caribbean effort to spread HIV/AIDS awareness.

Inter-Island Communication( IIC), owner of Hott 107.5 along with the Department of Health, have signed a local partnership agreement with the Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership (CBMP) for their "LIVE UP" campaign.

The campaign, LIVE UP: Love. Protect. Respect, was launched during the opening of the ICC Cricket World Cup in March with more than 50 television and radio broadcasters across the Caribbean participating in the initiative.

The purpose of the campaign is to not only spread HIV/AIDS awareness but to encourage safe sex practices, HIV/AIDS testing and training towards people living with the disease throughout various media outlets.

The official spokesperson in Bermuda will be Hott's afternoon personality Kristy Burgess also known as Ms Thang. The station will play daily public service announcements (PSA's) and a section of their new website, www.hott1075.com is dedicated to HIV/AIDS awareness. In a press release, Health Minister Michael Scott said: "HIV/AIDS is part of the Government's National Health Promotion Strategy. This initiative presents an exciting opportunity for the Department of Health and Inter-Island Communication to advance the promotion of HIV/AIDS awareness in the community and reach young people and young adults in new ways. This is an excellent opportunity to promote a Well Bermuda for all.

R. Scott Pearman, Chief Operating Officer for IIC, said, "We are excited to embark on this charitable initiative with the Department of Health. Our international partners will enable us to bring incredible media resources to the table and by partnering with the Department of Health we are confident that we will be able to focus those resources in areas that make the most sense in the Bermuda context."

The initiative inspired by the Global Media AIDS Initiative launched in January 2004 by former UN Secretary Kofi Annan, began 12 months ago with top media executives meeting in Barbados to create a a media concept about HIV/AIDS awareness. More than 50 "media houses" in 23 countries signed on to the project agreeing to join the campaign. CBMP member companies will play at least 30 seconds of every hour- 12 minutes a day to HIV/AIDS messages.

It is a "multi-platform approach that extends HIV/AIDS content across all programming platforms and genres" including new, locally-produced television and radio PSA's featuring the diverse voices of young men and women from across the Caribbean, original long-form entertainment and public affairs programming, complementary local programming developed by national and regional broadcasters, regular news packages, and rights-free programming adapted for the campaign from international broadcast partners, including Black Entertainment Television (BET) and MTV, among others.

CBMP Steering Committee chairperson, Dr. Allyson Leacock said: "LIVE UP is not a campaign of one broadcaster, one country, or even one year. As the first media-led AIDS education effort to span the entire Caribbean region, LIVE UP will involve major broadcasters on every island working together, across different media but with unified messages and a shared approach, to help turn back this disease and protect the health of our young people. LIVE UP focuses on what young people can do to help stop the spread of HIV/AIDS and how the region can come together to create a more open, supportive environment for people already living with the virus."

The press release said the Caribbean is the area most affected by HIV/AIDS second only to sub-Saharan Africa.

AIDS is a leading cause of death among adults ages 15-44 in the Caribbean, and 250,000 of the region's residents are living with HIV or AIDS. Half of those are women, and a third are young people between the ages of 15-24.

For more information about the campaign, log on to www.cbmphiv.org,www.iliveup.com or www.hott1075.com.