World AIDS Day

From the New York Times:

AIDS is outrunning us. The annual report of the United Nations' AIDS agency, released last week to mark World AIDS Day today, informs us that this year there will be 5 million new infections, a record, and more than 3.1 million deaths, another record.

The most troubling aspect of the report by the agency, Unaids, is its grim evidence that many large countries are still closing their eyes to limited AIDS epidemics that will soon explode into the general population. India is providing numbers no one believes. Russia has the world's fastest-growing epidemic, fueled by intravenous drug abuse. Drug abuse also now accounts for half of China's AIDS cases, and it is spreading AIDS infections rapidly in Vietnam, Indonesia and Pakistan.

There is a proven way to halt the spread of AIDS among intravenous drug abusers: provide them with clean needles so they need not share dirty ones. But many governments won't do it because they fear being seen as endorsing drug abuse. The United States prohibits the use of its money for needle exchanges and is actively trying to prevent anyone else from working on the issue. In Russia, whose epidemic is nearly entirely due to drug abuse, it's illegal even to advocate needle exchanges. The price of this shortsightedness will be AIDS epidemics that spread into the general population.

More HERE:

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

And you can still get a FREE AIDS TEST TODAY (until 3:30 PM) at the Allegheny County Health Department. 3441 Forbes Ave. No appointment is necessary. For more information, call 412-687-2243.

Also today and continuing through Saturday, the University of Pittsburgh's Pitt Program Council will present 120 blocks of the AIDS Memorial Quilt in the William Pitt Union. The display is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Mike has more links here.