As we learn more about how quickly and how thoroughly this virus establishes itself, and how actively the virus reproduces in spite of consistently strong immune responses, the less likely eradication of HIV from an infected individual becomes. Although we may be able to tip the balance toward the immune system by controlling the virus better with antiviral drugs or manipulating the immune system, we are far from a cure or having a manageable chronic disease yet. The recognition of how difficult it is to control transmission through educational programs has led to major investment in behavior research. A great deal of resources have gone into slowing the spread of the virus by modifying risky behavior. Here in the gay community we are groping not very successfully for techniques that work better than what we've got, while infection rates are not going down.
Preventive vaccines are the most effective medical intervention there is.
This is dramatically demonstrated by the total eradication of smallpox. There has not been a single naturally acquired case of smallpox since 1977 anywhere in the world. Vaccines have been developed for many diseases that were once major afflictions of mankind, though none of these vaccines were easy or fast to develop. And vaccination is generally many times cheaper that treating an illness, better for the individual and the society, and can be made available to the poorest parts of the world. The real difficulties AIDS vaccine development faces difficulties far greater than those encountered with other infectious viruses against which successful vaccines have been developed.