Created by Tyra Banks, UPN's AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL follows an all-new group of young women as they try to prove they have what it takes to make it in the high-stress, high-stakes world of modeling. During the April 5 episode, "The Girl With Two Bad Takes," the aspiring models meet Marvelyn Brown, a 21-year-old woman from Nashville who talks with them about the importance of being a spokesperson for causes that really matter. In Marvelyn's case, it's her HIV status. Marvelyn answers their questions about HIV/AIDS and provides a reality check about its impact on women today.

During the episode, some of the models take their newfound knowledge and appear in a public service announcement (PSA) about HIV prevention in support of KNOW HIV/AIDS, a public education campaign developed by CBS Corporation and Viacom, in partnership with the Kaiser Family Foundation, which worked with the show's producers on the episode.

Women and HIV/AIDS
According to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than one in four Americans diagnosed with AIDS are women, up from fewer than one in 10 two decades ago. Most women with AIDS were diagnosed between the ages of 25 and 44, indicating that many were likely infected in their teens or early twenties. African American women are especially at risk, accounting for 67% of AIDS cases among women in the U.S. in 2004, while representing just 13% of the U.S. female population. In fact, HIV/AIDS is the number one cause of death for African American women between the ages of 25 and 34.

Early diagnosis and treatment can help people with HIV/AIDS live longer and healthier lives, but testing is the critical first step. The CDC estimates approximately one in four Americans living with HIV/AIDS does not know they are infected.

CBS's Top 10 drama WITHOUT A TRACE starring Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner Anthony LaPaglia and Poppy Montgomery, follows the case of a pregnant HIV-positive woman who goes missing in the final weeks of her pregnancy. The storyline, which was developed as part of the KNOW HIV/AIDS initiative, a joint venture of CBS Corporation and Viacom, in partnership with the Kaiser Family Foundation, brings attention to the treatments now available that greatly reduce the risk of HIV transmission from mother to child and allow HIV-positive women to give birth more safely. It also addresses the stigma often associated with HIV disease, as well as the importance of a caring and supportive family. Jerry Bruckheimer, Hank Steinberg, Jan Nash and Greg Walker are executive producers.

Pregnancy and HIV/AIDS
"Mother-to-Child Transmission" refers to the transmission of HIV from a woman to her child during pregnancy, labor, delivery, or breastfeeding. Due to advances in HIV/AIDS therapies, when pregnant women with HIV are diagnosed and treated, the risk of mother-to-child transmission can be greatly reduced. In the U.S. today, there are only an estimated 200-300 HIV positive babies born each year compared to as many as 2,000 in the early 1990s, before such treatments were available. Yet, many Americans remain unaware that HIV-positive women can safely deliver a baby without transmitting the disease, knowledge that is important both for reaching all women who may be at risk and reducing stigma.

The U.S. Public Health Service recommends that all pregnant women be tested for HIV as early as possible during pregnancy. Getting tested early allows women who test HIV positive to decide with their doctor on the best treatment for themselves and their baby and to take steps to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV.