Guardians of the Galaxy Star Calls Attention to HIV Awareness in Sia Music Video

In an effort to put an end to the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, Sia dropped her latest music video for “Free Me,” starring actress Zoe Saldana, who plays a pregnant woman with HIV.

The video begins with narrator Julianne Moore introducing Saldana’s character by saying, “She’s about to learn that HIV is taking hold in her body, attacking her immune system. And if left untreated, will be passed onto the baby living inside her.”

Last year, findings from a large clinical trial in sub-Saharan Africa and India found that administering HIV-infected mothers with a 3-drug antiretroviral regimen while breastfeeding could eliminate mother-to-child transmission.

The take away from this video is the powerful message at the end, which reads “HIV/AIDS is the No. 1 killer of women of reproductive age worldwide.”

According to the World Health Organization, unsafe sex is the primary risk factor in developing countries for contracting HIV/AIDS. Biological factors, lack of access to information and health services, economic vulnerability, and unequal power in coitus expose women to HIV infection, particularly young women of reproductive age (15 to 44 years).

The CDC estimates that 1.1 million Americans are living with HIV, and 1 of 7 are unaware of their status.

Saldana and Moore are among the newest celebrities to partner with the #endHIV campaign, a collaboration with Abzyme Research Foundation. Proceeds from the song will be donated to the campaign, which raises money to manufacture the E-vaccine for human clinical trials.

Click here to watch the video.