World Aids Day

World Aids Day

On World AIDS Day: Bigger
problem with AIDS lack of
money, not medicine
This year marked three decades since
doctors in the United States first
began seeing a new, mysterious
disease: AIDS . Since it first appeared,
more than 25 million people
worldwide have lost their lives to
AIDS, according to the World Health
Organization .
Every year since 1987, Dec. 1 is
recognized across the globe as World
AIDS Day, a time to raise awareness of
the deadly disease. For 2011, the
theme surrounding World AIDS Day is
"Getting to Zero." The hope is to have
zero new HIV infections, which cause
AIDS. Zero discrimination and zero
AIDS-related deaths also lead the
cause.
"In this past year, the pre-exposure
prophylaxis protocol was found to be
very effective in keeping high-risk, HIV-
negative people from becoming
infected," explains Craig Wilson, M.D.,
professor in the UAB Department of
Epidemiology and director of the
Sparkman Center for Global Health.
This new approach, Wilson says, can
serve as a means to prevent
transmission, potentially leading to
the goal of zero new HIV infections.
However, there are still challenges
ahead.
"Sustainability on programs around
the world with all of the financial
cutbacks is a huge challenge," Wilson
explains.
"As financial issues mount -
particularly in Europe - we become
more dependent on donations to
fight this disease," adds Wilson.
Prioritization is something Wilson says
will become an issue. The question is
do you spend more money on
prevention, or more on treatment?
Despite the roadblocks, Wilson
believes we've seen the worst of the
havoc this disease can wreak. Moving
forward, he sees the possibility of
even better advances by World AIDS
Day 2012.
"There are a lot of positive things on
the horizon for prevention," Wilson
concludes.