Walsh & Hoyt: Prevention

The only way to prevent HIV infection is to reduce the risk factors for infection as much as possible. The obvious high-risk personal exposures through unprotected sexual intercourse or sharing of needles in the abuse of intravenous drugs must be discouraged. Cultural patterns in widely disparate geographic regions must be evaluated, and multiple novel approaches must be developed in order to decrease transmission in the developing world. In the industrialized countries, the advent of advanced therapeutics and increased longevity of individuals infected with HIV must be recognized and continuous educational efforts must be maintained in order to reduce complacency and high-risk behaviors.