Three main aspects make up the new plan, outlined in the editorial: the prevention of 7 million new infections through voluntary testing and counselling (to include abstinence education and condoms); treatment of 2 million people with antiretrovirals; and support and care for 10 million people infected with HIV and for AIDS orphans. 14 countries with the highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS have been targeted to receive most of the resources: Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique, Zambia, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Cote d'Ivoire, Rwanda, South Africa, Haiti, and Guyana. Cases in these countries account for 50% of all infections worldwide, and 70% of all infections in Africa and the Caribbean.
The editorial concludes: '...the President's plan, which appears long considered and carefully devised by experts, is tremendously good news. The Lancet urges the US Congress to appropriate swiftly the entire amount, so the programme can be implemented as soon as possible. Then let other rich nations follow suit. Ideally and ultimately, action against the epidemic should take place in the context of a comprehensive response to the problems of pervasive poverty, including hunger and education. The most important reality of AIDS is that it is a global crisis, one for which all bear responsibility, against which all must act, and act now.'
The Lancet