Washington must lead search for additional financing, more cost-effective strategies in fight against AIDS

This New York Times editorial responds to the latest UNAIDS report (.pdf), which it says "reveals substantial success by some measures and stagnation by others," writing, "The challenge, in tough times, that must be met is to find enough resources to capitalize on scientific breakthroughs and keep the campaign moving forward."

The editorial states that prevention and treatment strategies outlined in a speech by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last month "are the only way to get ahead of the epidemic. But the global economic downturn led to a collective decline in donor assistance last year." It concludes, "Washington has led the effort to combat AIDS and will need to lead the search for additional donor contributions, greater financing by AIDS-afflicted nations that can afford it, and more cost-effective approaches to prevention and treatment. This is no time to lose ground against a scourge that, while no longer always fatal, is still infecting people faster than they can be tested and treated" (11/27).