One area of concern is education–on how to avoid AIDS. It is clear that many people throughout the world are still unaware of how AIDS is transmitted. Ignorance is widespread.

On the BBC World Service's "Newshour," July 14, a doctor from the London Hospital for Tropical Diseases was asked about diarrhea, the world's foremost killer of children, which leads to gastrointestinal problems as well as diseases of the respiratory tract.

Explaining that diarrhea is mostly caused by polluted water and a general lack of hygiene, the doctor pointed out that educational programs have not worked. Even something as simple as washing one's hands after going to the toilet, a primary preventer of this problem, proves difficult to accomplish in most cultures. So why would spending millions more on AIDS education programs work?

It's difficult for anybody to fully understand another culture. However, definite cultural factors do contribute to the growing AIDS toll in Africa. These will not be overcome easily, if at all.

The best and most effective message is simple: Abstain from sex before marriage; be faithful within marriage. God put it differently in the Old Testament, but the meaning is the same: "You shall not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14). Sex is for marriage only.

Some countries have already realized the need to emphasize this, particularly with young people, who need to be encouraged to wait until marriage before they have sex. A few billboards and regular ads on television and radio cost little and can easily be afforded by most governments, especially those that already control the media in their country. Any other message only confuses people and encourages promiscuous behavior.

If the world embraced God's simple message, there would be no need for more AIDS conferences because the disease would die out within 20 years. Failure to follow God's command will lead only to increasing demands for cash as the situation worsens and Western countries are pressured for yet more help. (Source: BBC World Service.)