UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Whoopi Goldberg, second from left, poses with UCSF’s Diane Havlir, second from right, U.S. co-chair of the XIX International AIDS Conference, before speaking Friday at the symposia session, “Looking to the Future in HIV and TB.” © IAS/Ryan Rayburn – Commercialimage.net

A report by Louise Chu, assistant content manager for University Relations at UCSF:

Actress and comedian Whoopi Goldberg was a featured speaker during the Friday symposia session “Looking to the Future in HIV and TB,” urging better TB prevention for children.

Goldberg, a UNICEF International Goodwill Ambassador, is a longtime advocate of people living with HIV. Friday’s address focused on HIV’s effect on children, who become especially vulnerable to contracting severe, often fatal, forms of TB.

Goldberg emphasized the need to do testing for both HIV and TB in countries most affected by the diseases, and offer access to testing and treatment at the same clinics where women are getting family planning services and prenatal care.

Read her AIDS 2012 blog post here.

Other celebrities who have spoken at the conference include Sir Elton John, Debra Messing and Danny Glover.