Despite promises from governments around the world to pursue evidence-based policies, AIDS experts are frustrated at a refusal to adapt to new ways of looking at HIV and the people most at risk of contracting it.Most new infections are either coming in areas of the world that most people just don't know or care much about, or are occurring in people who should have known better. Tragic stories like hemophiliac Ryan White or transfusion-recipient Elizabeth Glaser aren't happening anymore. That's probably why the political class doesn't care much about the issue anymore. There isn't a political upside to carrying on that fight, especially with everything else the world has to worry about these days.
It is a stance that displays discrimination and criminal negligence, says Julio Montaner, president of the International AIDS Society, who has led a drive at the conference to get politicians to wake up to the evidence.
"Yes we are treating five million people today, but there are 10 million people who need treatment, otherwise they will get sick and die. Not treating them amounts to criminal negligence," he told Reuters.
At the heart of scientists' frustration is the impressive progress made against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS since it emerged in the early 1980s.
Advances in medicines have effectively turned an acute killer disease into a manageable chronic condition in many wealthy countries. Patients who take cocktails of AIDS drugs can often live normal lives -- they work, have sex, bear children and can even look forward to meeting their grandchildren.
When AIDS first started showing up in the 80's it was a great mystery and a lot of young, healthy people were dying. It also became a political football and frankly a lot more government money was thrown at it than it deserved, but no one dared say no for fear of being branded a homophobe. Those days are over.
After all, when was the last time you saw someone wearing the red AIDS ribbon?
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