Important note: Information in this article was accurate in December 1999. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
On behalf of the entire BETA staff and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, I am pleased to present this special edition. While we are calling it the "1999 Year-End Special Edition," this expanded issue was prepared with the conclusion of not only the year and the millennium in mind, but also the first 20 years of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. In this issue, we present an especially wide range of cutting-edge HIV-related information, from coverage of some of the year's most important scientific meetings to thorough research articles on such topics as hepatitis C and managing complex combination antiretroviral regimens. Also featured are a review of what has been learned about HIV positive women over the past several years, a status report on HIV vaccine development, a summary of issues relating to HIV and adolescents, a conversation about dermatology with an HIV clinical expert, and more.
Over the past two decades, great progress has been made in understanding, preventing, and treating HIV disease; challenges, too, have continued to emerge. Powerful antiretroviral treatments have been developed and approved, and the rates of both opportunistic conditions and AIDS deaths have fallen dramatically in the developed world-translating into more people living with HIV in need of services and care. In the developing world, AIDS deaths and new HIV infections continue to rise steeply, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where 70% of the world's people with HIV live and where access to treatment is limited at best. Also, as potent as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) regimens are and as successful as they are at improving clinical health, quality of life, and life span in many people, HAART has not been able to eliminate HIV infection in anyone.
As we enter a new millennium, it is crucial that treatment developments and health-care delivery systems continue to evolve and that vaccine research and development be given the highest priority. Developed countries are challenged with finding ways to actively assist the low-resource regions most impacted-sub-Saharan Africa, India, Southeast Asia, and now the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and Russia. In addition to supporting prevention and treatment efforts, funding must be provided for the humane care of thousands of people worldwide who are acutely ill or orphaned each day. Thus, it is critical that political will be enacted and that business communities commit to support HIV-related research and access to care around the world. In the words of the late Jonathan Mann, former director of UNAIDS, "The AIDS epidemic cannot be stopped in one country until it is stopped in all."
As the year, the 20th century, and the first 20 years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic end, we are ever mindful of our goal, which is to disseminate vital information to people living with HIV, their caretakers, and their loved ones. In the coming year, we will continue to bring you coverage of the most current and critical topics in HIV care.
Best Wishes in the New Year to each and every one.
Sincerely,
Leslie Hanna
Editor, BETA
991210
BE991201
Copyright © 1999 - San Francisco AIDS Foundation. Reproduced by permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through BETA: PO Box 426182, San Francisco, CA 94142-6182. Tel: 415 487 8060 Fax: 415 487 8069 URL: http://www.sfaf.org/beta E-mail: beta@sfaf.org
ÆGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, iMetrikus, Inc., the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1999. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
ÆGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1990, 2000. ÆGiS & the Sisters of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. All materials appearing on ÆGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of ÆGIS and the Sisters of Saint. Elizabeth of Hungary, or the party credited as the provider of the content.