Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options

A new study sponsored by the United Nations lends credibility to faith leaders who have long argued that behavioral change is key to combating the spread of AIDS, says a Catholic expert on the disease. “Within the United Nations, there is more and more attention to focusing on abstinence and the reduction of the number of sexual partners as well as the strategy of promoting condoms,” said Msgr. Robert Vitillo, special adviser to Caritas Internationalis on H.I.V. and AIDS. “This is a validation of what we’ve done.” Released on July 13, the study from the Joint U.N. Program on H.I.V./AIDS indicates that the prevalence of H.I.V. among young people has declined by more than 25 percent in 15 of the 21 countries most affected by the disease. In eight countries, the declines in H.I.V. rates resulted, at least in part, from positive changes in sexual behavior among young people, including youth waiting longer before they become sexually active and having fewer partners.

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

Pope Francis taught the church that the magisterium finds its clarity not merely in propositions but in acts of mercy.
David AlbertsonApril 28, 2025
Listen to the first episode of a new daily podcast series by America magazine’s editors on the ground in Rome covering the conclave to elect the new pope.
JesuiticalApril 28, 2025
The conclave to elect the next pope will open on May 7, Vatican officials announced today. The cardinals meeting in plenary assembly (called general congregations) in the Vatican decided the date this morning, April 28.
Gerard O’ConnellApril 28, 2025
The attention of the church now turns decisively to the question of Francis’ successor and the preparations for the conclave that will elect him.
Sam Sawyer, S.J.April 28, 2025