Fight against HIV/Aids gets a new impetus

It has taken some time, but finally there is some good news in the fight against HIV/Aids. In its two-yearly report on the state of the epidemic, the United Nations claims that efforts to combat the disease are showing heartening results. And one of the world's most recognisable men, Bill Clinton, is again lending his voice to highlight ways to defeat or at least lessen the scourge. This success has led to accusations of complacency as the public spotlight has switched to rising food and energy prices. These issues are related as high food costs mean HIV/Aids patients often have to make a choice between expensive medicines or food.

However, though new infections dropped from three million to 2.7 million last year, the rate of decline is not fast enough. As more and more people are infected, the task of keeping patients alive will become much harder and more expensive. Fewer people are dying - the number is down from 2.2 million to two million in 2007 - partly due to easier availability of drugs to suppress the virus in Africa and Asia. As a result, three million people who would have died otherwise are now surviving.

A gigantic task still lies ahead as the global total of people living with HIV is now more than 33 million.

The Mexican conference on Aids is looking at a strategy for the 21st century. For the first time, there is a sense of guarded optimism surrounding the issue even though, as Clinton has said, there is no magic bullet, no single cure.

Any long-term strategy must focus on education, on telling people the dangers of unprotected sex and shared needles. It is also important to note that those who do become infected can still lead a full life and make a positive contribution to society. Defeating HIV/Aids is a task not just for science, but for humanity.