title: Denial defeated, hope reigns.
abstract: The 13 International Conference on AIDS, held in Durban, South Africa, proved to be both the most important and the most unusual meeting since the earliest days of AIDS. This is the first time that the huge international meeting has been held in the heart of the global epidemic. More than any previous conference, this one was forced, by pure proximity, to confront the most rapidly escalating human suffering associated with the disease. It riveted attention on the prohibitively high cost of drugs and the need to build the medical and social infrastructure required to support the complex treatment of HIV. Similarly, it provided an important watershed for many African countries, a time to fully acknowledge the threat they face, to ponder the cost of government inaction and the need for clear thinking about solutions.
mesh_terms: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000191:economics / Q000600:supply & distribution / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016527:Drug Costs; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D013019:South Africa
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents