Attendees at an international AIDS conference in Washington, D.C., this summer celebrated three global statistics: Since 2002 the AIDS-related death toll has fallen by 10 percent, new HIV infections are down 13 percent and more than 8 million people in low- and middle-income countries are receiving HIV drug therapy -- a 20-fold jump since 2003. Conferees also heard a striking message: Recent breakthroughs in prevention provide an unprecedented opportunity to halt the deadly pandemic in its tracks. According to scientists, early treatment of HIV-infected patients can virtually eliminate the risk of transmitting the virus to sexual partners, and treating HIV-negative people at high risk of contracting the virus reduces infection rates. But adopting those two strategies globally would be hugely expensive, and nearly 8 million HIV-positive patients eligible for drug therapy now aren't getting it due to lack of funding. Some physicians, policy makers and AIDS activists also question giving symptom-free and virus-free people drugs with potentially toxic side effects.

Barbara Mantel is a freelance writer in New York City whose work has appeared in The New York Times, the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology and Mamm Magazine. She is a former correspondent and senior producer for National Public Radio and has won several journalism awards, including the National Press Club's Best Consumer Journalism Award and Lincoln University's Unity Award. She holds a B.A. in history and economics from the University of Virginia and an M.A. in economics from Northwestern University.