Current efforts to control the global spread of HIV infection include drug and vaccine research on animals and human beings, as well as measures to reduce the risk of person-person transmission. By using a simple, five-step problem-solving approach, it can be shown that none of these methods of control can succeed and that only the avoidance of risk will stop the spread of infection. Politicians, teachers, doctors and others in positions of responsibility should therefore be persuaded of the importance of making health education the first priority for funding in programmes to control HIV infection.
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