Education continues to be best weapon against AIDS Published June 19, 2006 ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- In the past 25 years, more than 25 million people worldwide have died from AIDS – acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Although not considered a high risk group, Air Force people are still at risk and routinely receive briefings about it before deploying to countries that have high levels of infection. “Since 1991, more than 1,400 U.S. Air Force personnel have developed HIV infection during their service,” said Maj. (Dr.) Robert O’Connell, director of the HIV department at Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland AFB, Texas. “Nearly half of these people have died from their infection.” Twenty-six new cases were identified in the Air Force last year. Six of those infected are Air Force reservists, according to Major O’Connell. AIDS is considered a sexually transmitted disease, so education is targeted at populations that would be at high risk for contracting STDs. The Air Force is committed to combating this disease through proactive educational awareness campaigns as well as routine clinical counseling and screening to identify new infections. People deploying to certain African nations and Thailand are particularly at risk because 50 percent of the prostitutes in those countries have HIV. “It is important to let people know it is a threat, and they should be aware of it,” said Lt. Col. Tim Bennett, public health officer and health promotion director for Air Force Reserve Command at Robins AFB. Every year, an estimated 40,000 Americans become infected with HIV, and many of the newly infected are young persons under the age of 25. Even more disturbing is an estimated 252,000 to 312,000 HIV-infected people in the United States are unaware that they are HIV positive. This is particularly dangerous because they are at high risk for transmitting HIV to their sexual partners and they do not seek medical treatment because they aren’t aware they are infected. “The only way to defeat HIV and AIDS is to reduce the number of people who become infected in the first place,” said Major O’Connell. Despite medical advances in treatments, 25 years later, prevention is your best defense, there is still no cure. (AFRC News Service)