Of course, prevention begins with the individual and includes education and self-awareness. But just as these diseases are transmitted from person to person, the process of prevention occurs between people.
Humans are social creatures.
HIV and other STDs are human diseases. The challenges they pose are unique to us. The AIDS epidemic has transformed people's lives and made unlikely experts out of many individuals affected by HIV and its related issues. A tiny virus, HIV became a huge public health concern by the late 1980s. Its toll in terms of human tragedy continues to rise and with it a growing need for research, health care, and prevention.