How far have we come?
We have not found a cure or a vaccine for HIV/AIDS, but we have made significant strides in our research. Today we have a better understanding of how HIV/AIDS is, and equally important, is not, spread. We know how to protect ourselves from being infected, and we have improved efforts to educate individuals about HIV/AIDS.

Additionally, on Oct. 30, the Senate voted 89 -1 to approve an amendment to the $18.4 billion foreign operations appropriations bill (S 1426) that would provide an additional $289 million for the five-year, $15 billion global AIDS initiative. The Dow Jones News Service reports that the largest oil companies in the world have started to distribute antiretroviral medications to their HIV-positive employees in Africa to help reduce the business costs of the epidemic. We are making progress, but still, there is much more to do and discover.

Until a cure is found, we must offer compassion and understanding to those individuals living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. Let World AIDS Day serve as a rekindling of the preserving spirit in our global community. We need to strive together as one world to ultimately rise above the challenge and make a difference by finding a cure. A cure for AIDS is impossible without research, and compliancy equals the further spread of HIV and increased deaths from AIDS.

It all starts with you! On Dec. 1, be certain to do your part in the battle against a world epidemic.