HIV & AIDS Health Center

AIDS Therapy in the New Millennium

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These medical questions are not the only clouds looming on the HIV horizon. Atlanta's Johnson says that for the first time in a long time, she is seeing a steady increase in people newly infected with the AIDS virus.

"It is alarming that we are seeing a resurgence of new HIV diagnoses," Johnson says.

Mellors predicts that he will see the same thing. "We are seeing a resurgence of HIV risk behaviors so it is only a matter of time," he says. "I don't want to sound pessimistic, but it is almost predictable that we have great resources and motivation as human beings for only a short period of time. It's our attention span. This is the same thing that occurred with tuberculosis -- absolutely the same thing. It will be two steps forward and one step back -- that is the story in most infectious diseases. For global control of AIDS, we are really talking about the need for an effective vaccine. This is not to say that for individuals the drugs can't have great benefit -- but for the disease as a whole, it will be to and fro for a long time to come."