AIDS and the Third World

ABSTRACT

As figures and graphs throughout this dossier indicate, new AIDS cases continue to rise more steeply, and only among homosexual men in the United States and a few European countries are there signs of a slowdown in the growth of HIV infection. The first major change in the AIDS situation since 1986 has been the insiduous entry of HIV to virtually every corner of the globe. Then, the first edition of this dossier concentrated heavily on Africa, because little data was available from other parts of the Third World. This third edition is much more truly global. While AIDS is only starting to gain a foothold in Asia, the Middle East and East Europe, there are now epidemics in Latin America and the Caribbean as severe as-and in many cases more severe than-those in North America, West Europe and Australasia. Previous claims that religion, culture or ideology afford effective protection from the AIDS virus have proved unfounded (Intro).