Battling AIDS with ABCD

As World AIDS Day is just round the corner (1 Dec), it is timely for us to reflect on the AIDS pandemic that has claimed more than 25 million lives since it was first recognized in 1981. Currently, about 38.6 million people are living with AIDS worldwide.

No cure has been found to date. Despite global preventive campaigns with budgets in the range of billions of dollars, the number of infections showed little signs of abating - there were 4.3 million new HIV cases in 2006 alone.

So what went wrong? Many governments and health organizations use the ABC approach (Abstinence - Being faithful - Condoms) to prevent the spread of HIV through sex. However, it has been widely criticized: religious groups are against C while others are against the emphasis of A and B.

I would like to propose one additional element to enhance the effectiveness of the ABC approach: Development of family life

I believe a strong vibrant family life is tantamount in preventing a multitude of sexual problems/issues, eg. spouses in a loving and sexually fulfilling marriage are less vulnerable to temptations, teenagers in a wholesome family are less likely to be promiscuous.
Development of family life should include pro-family government policies as well as promotion of family-related activities (eg. marriage preparation courses, effective communication skills seminars, teenager counselling sessions, family camps).

Let's discuss and share the ABCD approach in our fight against AIDS!