[AIDS prevention by the public health office: a necessary evil?]

Nobody questions that public health offices have the legal obligation to engage in AIDS prevention. Public health authorities will always ensure that there is cooperation with other local organisations ("AIDS-Hilfen", drug-counselling agencies, gay organisations, self-help groups, welfare associations), but coordination of the multiple tasks and goals is its own special concern. Based on two examples from male homosexuality and prostitution the author points out some problems that may arise for public health offices and at the same time tries to encourage them to face these problems.