Austrian Magazine Prints New Edition With HIV-Infected Blood

The Vangardist is printed, using a mixture of ink and HIV-positive blood. An Austrian men's magazine, Vangardist printed the May edition of #HIVHeroes' using HIV-positive blood in other to fight the stigma about the virus.

Explaining why the blood of HIV-infected persons were used in printing the latest edition of magazine, the chief editor of Vangardist, Julian Wiehl told AFP, that they wanted to make a statement against the irrational fears of coming closer to those that have the virus.

'We wanted to make a statement against the stigma and the irrational fears about HIV and HIV-positive people. 'If you hold this magazine in your hands it is like holding somebody who is HIV positive, nothing can happen, nothing can harm you holding the magazine, and nothing can harm you holding an HIV-positive person,

Meanwhile, Vangardist magazine is usually published only digitally, but the '#HIVHeroes' edition is in hard copy, printed using blood donated by three people who are HIV-positive, mixed with normal ink.