From UNAIDS today, a new report on the state of play on international HIV/AIDS. It's both encouraging and incredibly frightening. (Hat tip Dan Drezner) Among the good, infection rates in some places, like Kenya for example, are dropping due to increased sexual education and changes in personal behaviors. And in Southern Africa, the "epicenter" of the global AIDS crisis, increased condom use is helping to lower infection rates. Among the bad, almost five million new people were infected with HIV this year, and, the report says, the challenges ahead of us are "immense."
Running throughout the report is the idea that from this point forward, the challenge is really a social and cultural one:
Among the social and cultural solutions, as suggested by the report? Improve the lives of women. End the stigmatization of those with HIV. Quit marginalizing gay people. Commit to science-based education. Take down road blocks to condom use and other responsible sexual behavior. And do it in every corner of the globe.
Running throughout the report is the idea that from this point forward, the challenge is really a social and cultural one:
Bringing AIDS under control will require tackling with greater resolve the underlying factors that fuel these epidemics-including societal inequalities and injustices. It will require overcoming the still serious barriers to access that take the form of stigma, discrimination, gender inequality and other human rights violations.
Among the social and cultural solutions, as suggested by the report? Improve the lives of women. End the stigmatization of those with HIV. Quit marginalizing gay people. Commit to science-based education. Take down road blocks to condom use and other responsible sexual behavior. And do it in every corner of the globe.
