HIV/AIDS Prevention Programs Need a ‘Jump-Start,’ Los Angeles Times Editorial Says

Recent reports of the first U.S. increase in a decade in the number of newly diagnosed AIDS cases and the emergence of college campuses as high HIV transmission areas are "ominous signs of a stall in the war on AIDS," a Los Angeles Times editorial says. AIDS awareness programs, which have "proved effective in curbing the disease to a point," require "unceasing engagement" by state and local governments, health officials, physicians, churches and community groups, the Times says. In addition, HIV testing, which "plays a crucial role in curtailing the harm" of the epidemic, "should be ubiquitous, too," according to the Times. However, "individual responsibility" is key to preventing HIV, and the rise in the number of newly diagnosed AIDS cases offers a "sharp reminder that ... only fools get complacent" in the fight against AIDS, the editorial says. The Times concludes that "[c]learly, the campaign to halt [the] ravages [of AIDS] needs a new jump-start" (Los Angeles Times, 8/9).