This was a message from the week-long 14th International AIDS Conference, which ends today in the Spanish city of Barcelona.

The meeting, unprecedented in scale, brought together some 15,000 government officials, medical experts and scientists from 170 countries to fight AIDS.

Over the past two decades, the humankind has fought a losing battle in curbing the spread of AIDS, with prevalence rates reaching unbelievable levels in many countries, fuelled by war, hunger and poverty. Several African countries have already borne the brunt of the catastrophic disease.

To date, more than 60 million people have contracted the AIDS virus, 20 million of whom have already died, according to the latest figures released by the United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

Worse, the pace of the disease's spread has accelerated, with the number of people infected rising by 15 percent. UNAIDS warned that the disease will take another 68 million lives by 2020 if the "business as usual" approach continues.

The destruction may multiply in the decades to come unless the fight against AIDS is dramatically expanded with increased government intervention.

Success in keeping the virus at bay lies in efficient preventative measures. But ignorance on how the virus is transmitted has exposed many to risks.

All governments have been urged to honour their commitments in fighting AIDS. It is true that the major obstacle is a lack of political will, rather than technical problems.

Governments should ensure that their people have access to information on AIDS, especially vulnerable groups, including the least educated and young people.

Surveys indicate that a large proportion of young people have misconceptions about AIDS and lack the knowledge to protect themselves. As a result, half of all new infections today are found among people aged between 15 and 24.

AIDS has gone far beyond being only a medical issue. It is also a social problem that requires the participation and co-ordinated effort of all sectors of society.

The disease has also given China a tough challenge. In April, the Ministry of Health estimated that there were 850,000 people in China living with HIV or AIDS.

The problem is that the virus is being transmitted from vulnerable groups to the general population.

Although China has worked out a program of action for 2001-05 and a medium to long-term plan for 1998-2010 for the fight against AIDS, a lot more still needs to be done.

The world cannot afford to lose another round in the fight against AIDS.

(China Daily July 12, 2002)