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Have we forgotten the AIDS pandemic?

The reaction of the world towards the feared Influenza A (H1N1) has been efficient and prompt. Today’s media covered the topic 24/7 and updated the information every hour, keeping people interested and, at the same time, educated them on the basic facts of the disease.

 

Organizations like the CDC and the WHO have done a great job of surveillance and prevention, keeping the harm of this disease to a minimal. Countries have been proactive in creating strategies that could prevent the disease to enter their borders. An example of how worrisome some have become, was made last week, when the Philippines Government advised their national boxing hero Manny Pacquiao to be in quarantine for 5 days in California after a World Championship fight, and delay his welcome parade to the Philippines.

 

Thinking about the reaction of the world to this mild disease, I could not help to compare it with our reaction to the AIDS epidemic. I wonder how different it would have been if we did something similar during the beginning of the epidemic. This summer will mark the 29^th anniversary of the first scientific description of the AIDS epidemic. Today, an estimated 33.2 million people are living with HIV infection around the globe, of which 2.5 million were infected and 2.1 million died during the year 2007 alone. The explosive trends in the global epidemic have also occurred in the United States; an estimated 925,000 to 1,025,000 HIV-seropositive persons resided within the United States in 2003. The statistics speak by themselves but, have we forgotten the AIDS pandemic?

 

The culture of the 1980s was very different from the one we have today and many things played a role into our failure to stop the AIDS epidemic. An example is how the stigma attached to AIDS made it difficult for many prevention strategies to work and stop the disease. Today, we have shown the temperance and determination to prevent a threatening disease with great cooperation and care. We should not forget the AIDS pandemic and the toll it is taking on our humanity. If we fail to face the responsibility of the AIDS pandemic, we will continue to stand witness as a dangerous epidemic spins out of control, with tragic repercussions for the rest of this new century.