Date 23/02/2016 - News People
(CNN)It's called the "celebrity effect" -- the ability of a well-known personality to raise awareness of an illness or public health concern. When Katie Couric had a live TV colonoscopy in 2000, screenings and awareness of colon cancer increased. Angelina Jolie's 2013 decision to remove both breasts more than doubled genetic testing referrals among women at high risk for breast cancer. Now there's the " Charlie Sheen effect." When Sheen announced in November he had been hiding his HIV-positive status for years, media coverage and public interest on the star and the topic of HIV exploded.
