AIDS AT 25

It's A Killer Of Huge Proportions, Though Gains Have Been Made

IIf news stories were published or aired based on their sheer impact
on human lives, AIDS would be the lead item every day. Since AIDS was
first diagnosed 25 years ago, more than 25 million people have died
of the disease. More than 40 million have been infected with HIV.

It's hard to fathom such devastation, especially as it afflicts today
the poor nations of the world in Africa and Asia. AIDS is still a
deadly reality in this country. But new medications have prolonged
the lives of HIV-positive men and women and those developments have
benefited wealthier countries, America included.

Twenty years ago, the belief in America was that AIDS was a disease
afflicting mostly homosexuals and that it could be transmitted
through casual contact. Over time, fear, ignorance and the biases
they spawn gave way to facts and a heightened social consciousness.

President Bush and former President Clinton, no allies politically,
are leading the effort to control the spread of AIDS in Africa, where
it is epidemic. Last week, first lady Laura Bush addressed the United
Nations on the need to ensure that women and girls in poor countries
are empowered to learn about sexual transmission and the risks they face.

Still, the U.N.'s global conference on AIDS tiptoed around the key
questions of funding -- more than $20 billion may be needed in coming
years -- and sexual and social mores. Understanding has come a long
way. But the fight demands more.