Prevention is the solution
Prevention- the Cornerstone of Good Health
Prevention must not be overlooked as the key component in stopping the spread of AIDS.
In the dialogue on HIV/AIDS, much is made (and rightly so) of the importance of treatment, usually in the way of pharmaceuticals. However, in the discussion on access to treatment, the role of prevention is sometimes overlooked. Although resources and energy must be directed towards those already infected, it must not be forgotten that prevention is currently the only way to curb the AIDS pandemic.
AIDS is not so different from other health issues in that the best solution lies in prevention. If one were to look at the health concerns plaguing most developing countries, the top solutions would involve alleviating poverty, having a clean, secure water supply, being free of violence, being properly nourished, being educated, and having shelter. Only further down the list would you find medical interventions and even these would be preventative in nature such as vaccinations.
In developed countries, many of the factors contributing to major causes of mortality are tied to behaviors and lifestyle. Cardiovascular problems, cancer, and diabetes all have a large behavioral or environmental component. Again, preventative health could and should play a role in improving the general health of society. (See The Society for Clinical Preventive Health Care at www.clinicalprevention.ca for more information on preventive health care).
HIV/AIDS is not so different from these other conditions. In the HIV/AIDS discourse, poverty, gender equality, and access to resources and education often come up as contributing factors to the AIDS pandemic. AIDS is a preventable disease. The route of transmission of HIV is known and physically, it is comparatively easy to prevent its spread. However, the necessary behaviors that would lead to the end of AIDS are often not supported by social, economic, and educational systems.
Prevention is a key piece of the AIDS solution, as it is in many of the world’s health issues. In developed countries, the health care system places an inordinate amount of its focus on treatment and not prevention, often to the detriment of the population. We must be careful not to make the same mistake in our approach to AIDS.
