Based on data for nearly 400,000 patients in a national registry, the CDC says the number of people living with AIDS rose from 240,184 in 1996 to 320,282 in 1999. There have been some simplifications in medicines, and we need to think about how to simplify adherence even more. New drugs which stop reproduction of the AIDS virus, called reverse transcriptase inhibitors and protease inhibitors, must be taken in precise doses at precise times. It takes a lot of work for a patient to feel healthy.
Prevention is another major challenge.
Now a higher proportion of cases are in injection drug users, also in heterosexuals. Preventing spread of the infection must include programs to reduce needle-sharing by drug users and to promote safe sex, Lee says. People carrying the HIV virus that causes AIDS must be made aware of their condition, says Tanya Ehrmann, public policy director of AIDS Action, a Washington-based advocacy group. Access to drugs increases survival time, and we need to spend more time identifying the people who need these drugs. She cites a special need to reach HIV-infected individuals in specific ethnic groups.