Most of whom are in Africa, which doesn't stir much interest because they will probably die of starvation or genocide anyway. Here at home I still occassionally hear that AIDS is a homosexual disease or contracted by druggies and prostitutes. No, AIDS research is not a big priority.

It is very important to continue the research.  Even if we don't come up with a solution right away, we'll vastly expand our knowledge and not only find cures for other existing diseases but have an arsenal ready to combat new ones.

The era of vaccines against disease died with Salk. The pharmaceutical industry has no financial incentive to promote cheap vaccines when drugs to prolong and manage any illness are infinitely more profitable. The problem for vaccines is further compounded by the intrusion of religious dogma and morality into the public health world. There are far too many self-righteous promoters of God's will being applied to the inflicted for some perceived breach of human ettiquette to move health solutions along for their own sake. We still live in a world stigmatized by ignorance and intolerance. 

Agree, Tom. Maybe researchers should coin another name besides AIDS research.

The continued research is definitely needed.

The sad TRUTH is this disease has been treated like a political hot potato instead of a contagious disease right from the start. Now,  we find ourselves in the position of having tens-of-millions of infected (and infectious) people around the world.

With every other deadly contagious disease,  treatment AND quarantine is the normal and accepted method for wiping out an outbreak before it reaches epidemic proportions.  However, the hue and cry from the gay community squelched all common scientific sense and relegated the tried and true methods of disease control to the scrap heap in favor of politically-correct (read: gay friendly) un-proven methods of disease prevention. Better to let this disease spread around the world than have someone incorrectly think you might be "gay bashing."

We can now see the result of this folly.  Obviously we have learned nothing.  While this disease is tragic, there are certain lifestyle changes that can be made to minimize an individuals risk.  These have been debated for a quarter century and yet we STILL do nothing but whine about the problem. 

The only (and I do mean ONLY) way this terrible disease will be controlled is with a combination of treatment AND quarantine and since the political leaders are not willing to make the difficult choice to quarantine those infected (and infectious) people you better settle in for the long haul and resign yourself to millions of more deaths.

I remember clearly the day the man from the  KC Health Dept. nailed that big red sign that said QUARANTINE to our front door. My older sister had been diagnosed with Polio.  My father was allowed to go to work and come home, nothing else. My mother could leave the home once a week to go grocery shopping and to take my sister to the doctor as required. My sister and grandmorther that lived with us and I were not allowed out side the perimeter of our yard. No one was allowed in.  It remained so until the Health Dept.  declared my sister  non-infectious. Didn't scar any of of us and my well have saved another child from Polio.

Charlie...

You illustrate my point exactly.  

I was a Paramedic when HIV / AIDS was just a medical curiosity in clinics in the Bay Area. I was also a Paramedic when the scope of the threat was identified and decisions were made regarding the treating / reporting and quarantining of HIV / AIDS  

The political ass-kissers insisted HIV / AIDS patients were "different" than every other dangerous contagious disease carrier known through out history and stringent control measures were not necessary.  --- {Sarcasm Alert!}  Yeah, well, we can see how well that worked out now can't we? {End of Sarcasm Alert}

Every medical professional I spoke with at the time thought the political response to the spread of HIV / AIDS was a disaster.  (MD's Public Health Officials & the braver CDC people)

I myself predicted HIV / AIDS would be the modern day black plague and judging by the numbers I'm not far off the mark.

Whether it's the spread of communicable disease, Islamo-fascism, illegal immigration, terrorism or anything else that can have a profound impact upon your life don't believe 1/100th of what the government tells you. I guarantee it's always a lot worse than they will let on.   ({Another Sarcasm Alert!} Can't have the good citizens getting upset by knowing the truth - they might not vote for me in the next election)

Curt, I appreciate your commentary and appreciate that you have worked as a paramedic. However, quarantine is not going to do squat for this disease. The facts would suggest that HIV/AIDS spreads with ignorance and indifference. The true modern day victims of this scourge are women who are nearly always on the receiving end from a male carrier who practiced unsafely in the playground. Women almost never are the transmitters of this disease. I do agree that the current Administration has done a tremendous disservice through blatantly political payback policy decisions and by  not providing accurate and valuable information on government websites and information channels regarding this disease. Abstinence should never mean abstaining from providing all the necessary information available to the general public on any health issue, but that is what we got from George W. Bush.   

Adam:

My criticism goes waaaaaaay back beyond the current administration.  Back when this disease was first categorized as a communicable disease and the methods of transmissions identified, there was a small window of time where this pandemic could have been prevented. Instead of doing what was right for humanity as a whole, the politicians (and not just here in the US) pandered to the special interest groups to prevent informed, intelligent and decisive action to control this disease BEFORE it became a pandemic.  That window of opportunity is long gone now and the politicians bear the responsibility for all of these deaths.

There are MANY medical professionals who were right on the money in their criticisms of the politics of HIV / AIDS early on in the game.  Of course now it's too damn late to do anything meaningful except throw money at it in an attempt to assuage a collective guilt over our stupid stupid handling of the disease.

The political leaders through out the world over the past 25 years are the ones who could have made a difference in controlling HIV / AIDS, but the usual graft, greed and corruption prevailed over the good of mankind.

Please keep in mind I'm not talking about now or even four years ago, I'm talking about over a quarter century ago when it was truly possible to isolate and eradicate this disease before it became a world-wide pandemic.  In this quarter century every single administration has pandered to those who were (at that time) the primary carriers of the disease.  Now of course, the demographics has changed and it cuts into every social strata and every sexual orientation. 

Eric - -

I was speaking in general terms and you introducd everyone to the cold hard specifics.  However, my complaint is simply this: 

The governments (world wide)  COULD have enforced a quarantine.  They COULD have closed down the bath houses immediately.  The governments COULD have labeled this a STD waaaaaaay before they did and MANDATE reporting and tracking of those infected as is done with every single other deadly communicable disease.  Think you could get away with not reporting a case of the clap or syphilis?  Not a chance and a dose of the clap won't kill you!  WTF is wrong with this picture???

Hell, people are having conniption fits over a TB patient on an airliner, lead paint on toys, tainted spinach and cattle that can't stand at the slaughterhouse yet resist reporting cases of HIV / AIDS.   Again, WTF is wrong with this picture?

I can only conclude the monkees are in fact running the zoo!

Hindsight is always 20/20. I lived and worked in San Francisco during the AIDS meltdown in the 1980s. I cannot even count the number of close friends and business associates I knew who succumbed to this terrible disease. The speed with which this contagion spread was unbelievable. Yes, unprotected sex was the major factor, but drug use and misinformation also contributed to the slaughter. Reagan does deserve some blame for failing to harness government agencies and information to a frightened and ignorant public. Bush I and Clinton also failed to make solving this disease riddle a priority. But Bush Jr. is in a class all by himself for censorship and misguided policies that place religion front and center into the public health arena.  I am still sickened when I recall the bigots publicly proclaiming this was God's retribution for sin, as if God selectively punishes some sins and ignores others. These ignorant blowhards are still out there with their messages of hate and intolerance.

If saving lives were a priority this disease would have had a vaccine, however in this world where only money matters governments and business work on containment strategies for mutual profit and political gamesmanship rather than a cure. 

Quarantine will not stop the spread of this deadly disease. Each person who has the virus will develop the antibodies at a different rate of speed, therefore how would you know who to quarantine?    MORE education is the key to this disease.

At one point yrs ago, working at a clinic, we did not have to report a positive test, only when it became AIDS was it to be reported. Not sure now what protocol is but that in itself was scary. 

I don't see this disease as ending. Mothers are giving it to unborn children and the cycle is continuing. Research and vaccinations are necessary to continue our efforts to find a cure.   Treatments and medications are expensive but they are extending lives and the researchers are learning from this. 

It was world wide when the virus was isolated, it was brought to the USA by a airline attendant of European backgound and detected in other 3rd world nations long before that ,just not put together in big enough numbers with all the clues and causes, It was widespread before it was found out....hindsight is 20/20 is the correct statement

Aids is now small time compared to the upcoming RTB ( resistant TB), It`s air borne my friends....

Gasbag- er, Gaslight-

Quarantine has NOTHING to do with the Republican Party, the Democratic Party or even the Socialist Party.  Quarantine is a valuable and acceptable medical tool to protect the citizens of a community from the threat posed by contagious disease laden people who could care less if they infect their co-inhabitants of the community.

Would you seriously propose someone infected with Ebola, Cholera, Typhoid or Smallpox be allowed to roam through out their community at will?   What about compassion? Shouldn't we feel compassion for the Ebola victim and let them roam wherever they want with no regard as to the consequences?  OF COURSE NOT!

Your comparison to cancer is intellectually shallow in that cancer is not contagious and will not not run rampant through the local elementary school killing hundreds if your child has contact with them.   Your dissimilar comparison is without any intellectual merit whatsoever.  If you cannot do any better than that, perhaps you should just sit there and learn something from those who actually have something intelligent to offer to the discussion table.

It is people just like you (and a media willing to spread your propaganda) who cause unnecessary epidemics and needless death brought about by sheer blind ignorance in the guise of holier-than-thou compassion.   

There is absolutely NOTHING compassionate about sentencing an innocent person to death from a communicable disease.

Well said Curt,though as things stand now with hospitals shutting down, it seems problematic. As far as RTB,or any of the other looming diseases,the over use of antibiotics has come back to haunt us. And line the drug makers coffers undoubtedly.