HIV prevention is critical

The world's industrial powers have committed to a united effort to confront the scourge of AIDS. Meeting this past week in Georgia at the G-8 Summit, world leaders agreed to a global research strategy to pursue an effective vaccine against HIV.

The agreement is a departure from customary medical research, which is conducted by institutions or individual teams pursuing their ideas independently, sometimes competing against one another. But the time has come for a collaborative effort against the virus that infects 5 million people and kills 3 million each year. Now that HIV has begun to outsmart available treatments, developing an effective vaccine is of the utmost urgency.

Another critical approach to the spread of AIDS is prevention. Abstinence is the only foolproof method of preventing the transmission of the HIV virus. Although public health educators have urged any number of approaches, a certain percentage of people across the globe continue to engage in risky behaviors. In some poor countries, people most at risk have foregone prevention because access to HIV therapy has given them a false sense of security.

Treatments can slow the progression of HIV, but there is no cure. Until a vaccine can be developed, which could take years and cost billions of dollars, prevention is a must.

People most at risk need to be tested and commit to ongoing testing. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control, the majority of new HIV infections in the United States are passed on by people unaware of their status. Research does show, however, that people who learn they are HIV-positive usually take steps to protect their partners.

Still, many people are reluctant to take HIV tests because they fear the outcomes or they doubt that their families, friends or other support networks can deal with the disease openly and compassionately. This is a particularly steep challenge in some parts of the globe where people with HIV are shunned or health care systems are too overwhelmed to provide adequate health care.

The G-8 agreement to take a global, political approach to the problem of AIDS is cause for great optimism. Although the United States funds about 70 percent of global HIV research now, it is hoped the new collaborative effort will encourage other industrial powers to commit greater resources to HIV vaccine research.

Some leaders believe that a cooperative effort will attract the world's best and brightest scientists, who will be subject to regular performance assessments to ensure that the goal of an HIV vaccine is progressing. That would be a wonderful development, indeed.