Health promotion and AIDS: challenge to primary care

The rapidly increasing prevalence of AIDS related mortality and morbidity demands aggressive epidemiologic intervention by the medical and public health systems. Traditional disease prevention strategies alone, will not however, successfully resolve the community health problem of AIDS, particularly in the absence of a vaccine. Analysis of the AIDS threat clearly shows that along with reducing the prevalence of AIDS and HIV infection, and preserve the quality of life for those whom it personally touches. As a process which enables people to increase control over and improve their health (World Health Organization 1984), health promotion emerges as the framework of choice from which to launch a comprehensive community response to AIDS.