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Over the course of the company’s history, it hasn’t all been fun and games. Freeman has gotten negative press a couple times, such as when a newspaper columnist accused him of making money off the backs of sick people. But the incident that affected Freeman the most was when he was contacted by a Midwestern woman whose son died of the plague. “She was very distraught that we were trying to capitalize on this disease,” he says. “I completely understood how she could interpret it that way. I explained to her our mission statement—that the plague isn’t dead. I just wanted to let her know that we fully understood, probably more than most, what it’s all about. I’ve never forgotten that one.”
His resolve to promote public awareness of serious public health issues in an irreverent way continues unabated. Most recently, Infectious Awareables has teamed up with the nonprofit California Family Health Council for a campaign directed at teens in southern California. The company plans to produce scarves printed with HPV, or the human papillomavirus, which can cause cervical cancer, and is a growing public health concern as it’s the most commonly sexually transmitted infection. Also in the works are boxer shorts and baseball caps promoting condom use. The design is coming from the winner of CFHC’s biennial condom package design contest held at local high schools. It has the words “be safe” written in graffiti style.
The plan is to have the threads available online in late spring or early summer, says Maryjane Puffer, CFHC’s director for clinical and community health programs. “It’s a great way to spread the message through a hip fashion,” says Puffer. She hopes the young will like the products as much as the old: “I bought my 70-year-old father the testosterone boxer shorts. He loved them. We’re going for where his ego might be.”
Joel Breman, M.D., an infectious disease researcher at the NIH’s Fogarty International Center, gives malaria ties and scarves to colleagues and friends to promote malaria control and awareness. “The U.S. population is pretty insular,” he says. “With the malaria tie, now malaria has come out of the shadows. It’s a conversation starter.”
To shop, suggest product lines, or just browse, Infectious Awareables is online at: www.iawareables.com
