Delegates at the 14th International AIDS conference in Barcelona learned yesterday that a preventive vaccine, or even a total cure, were still many years away. The only way to prevent the spread of AIDS, particularly in the developing world, is through protection and education.
Doctors say that the condom is the most efficient method of halting the spread through sexual contact, but condoms are unpopular in many countries. Ms Suniti Solomon, a member of the Indian delegation, complained that Indian men "just will not use a condom". But the campaign has been more successful in other places.
A delegate from Ecuador said that whereas only 5 per cent of prostitutes in her country used condoms five years ago, now almost 90 per cent of them do so. It is estimated that two thirds of new cases could be prevented over the next 10 years with proper protection.
After Africa, Latin America and Russia are two of the places where the epidemic is growing most rapidly, and for different reasons. The Caribbean is an increasingly popular destination for "sex tourists", both men and women, many of whom practise unprotected sex and become infected. Ms Ilona van der Braak of East-West AIDS Foundation, told the conference that contaminated needles amongst drug users was responsible for many of the 87,000 new cases reported in the Russian republic.
"Groups of boys and girls of around 12 or 14 share needles when they experiment with drugs in ways which are almost unthinkable in Western Europe," she said.
For the past 15 years, almost since the first case was identified in 1981, scientists have been trying to develop a vaccine, but they are still far from reaching their goal. The biggest trial to date is taking place in Thailand in a joint project partly funded by the US and Thai governments.
Thailand, where there are 100,000 new cases reported every year, has been named as the site for the 15th AIDS conference in four years time. "But a vaccine is not a magic wand, and we must teach people how not to catch the disease," said one expert.
Criticism of richer countries who have raised less than a third of the $10 million pledged to fight AIDS at the UN summit in New York two years ago continue to enflame emotions.
These came to a noisy climax when the US Health Secretary, Mr Tommy Thompson, was heckled and insulted as he tried to address the meeting. Angry demonstrators prevented Mr Thompson from speaking and he was escorted off the podium by security officials.