Lack of Funding, Inadequate National Policies Hindering G8 Goal of Universal HIV/AIDS Treatment Access, Editorial Says

It is "troubling" that HIV/AIDS experts say the Group of Eight industrialized nations' goal of providing treatment access to every HIV-positive person worldwide by 2010 "seems unattainable" because of a lack of funds and inadequate programs in some countries, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution editorial says. The chances of attaining universal access are "darkened further because some governments where the epidemic is gaining a foothold refuse to enact public health and safety measures" -- such as needle-exchange programs in Russia -- "that might stem the spread of the virus," the Journal-Constitution says. "Nearly 30 years into the AIDS epidemic, it's important for people in developed countries where prevention and treatment programs are widely available to understand that the virus still flourishes in poorer parts of the world," the editorial says, concluding, "Ultimately, all nations must be linked in efforts to bring it under control" (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 12/7).