Today Is World AIDS Day
By Medical Editor Dr. Brian McDonough
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Today is World AIDS Day and it is important to remember that HIV and AIDS continue to be a major health issue in the world. To give you a sense of the scope of the problem, there are 30 million cases in the world. It's not going away.
The thing about HIV and AIDS is there are better treatments available that can prolong life, but the reality is it can still be devastating and it can still be spread relatively easy through sexual contact.
One major issue that is arising right now is there is not as much funding for research, because of the economic crisis throughout the world in particular in Europe. This is something that President Obama will be addressing when he meets with President Bush and Clinton later today at Georgetown University.
The discussion needs to continue about how to avoid HIV, how to prevent it's spread and, most importantly, we need to come up with funds to continue with research and development in treating the condition.
