In
the meantime, AIDS has become a
pandemic, i.e. it has spread all over
the world.
It has also long ceased to be a “gay
disease”. World-wide, most new
infections now result from heterosexual
contact. There are medical treatments
today that can help AIDS patients to
survive much longer than before, but
there is still nor cure and no effective
vaccine. Prevention remains the most urgent and most promising strategy.
Unfortunately, for years the governments
of many developing countries paid no
attention to the warnings of health
experts. Thus, they failed to profit
from the hard-learned lessons of others
and lost precious time in starting
appropriate prevention programs. For
this massive political failure the
populations in these countries are now
paying a heavy price. Even in the US and
Europe, there has been some occasional
backsliding as prevention efforts have
weakened or become subject to political
interference.
In the
meantime, research continues, trying to
find a cure or a vaccine. Until this
work succeeds, prevention offers the
best hope. The blood supply must be made
safe by prior testing. The general
population must continuously be educated
about the risks of infection and how to
avoid them by practicing “safer sex”.
Special prevention efforts must be
directed at intravenous drug users and
those with risky sexual behaviors. Their
cooperation must be sought and
appreciated. In many countries the
treatment and care of AIDS patients can
and must be improved. |
