NEW YORK — Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the world's leading AIDS scientists, warned at an international conference on AIDS in Sydney, Australia, that the world is losing the battle against the virus. He indicated that increased emphasis should be placed on prevention efforts, particularly with regard to social and cultural circumstances that affect the rate at which the pandemic is growing.
One of the cultural factors that has proven to be significant is cross-generational relationships — in which at least a 10-year age difference exists between partners. Unless this problem is properly addressed, it will have significant social and demographic consequences in the regions most affected: Sub-Saharan countries, the Caribbean and the Middle East, among others.
The "sugar daddy" phenomenon, as it is called, accounts for a much greater prevalence of HIV infection among teenage girls than among boys. In several African countries, the HIV-infection rate for young girls is up to six times greater than that for boys of similar ages.