As people everywhere pause to mark World AIDS Day 2007 on December 1, so does Current Health 2. Twenty-six years into the epidemic, scientists have learned some ways of fighting back against the disease. But as of yet there isn't a cure, or a vaccine to prevent the spread of AIDS. Some of the current headlines on the topic: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has noticed more diagnoses in teens and young adults; President Bush proposes boosting U.S. spending on global AIDS efforts to $30 billion; and the United Nations warns that 30 million people in China are at risk of contracting the disease. To help your students put it all in perspective, we offer "The Toll of AIDS," beginning on page 8. We hope it helps your students better understand AIDS, particularly through the eyes of Ben, a teen living with AIDS who shares his story.

We welcome feedback on this article and anything (and everything!) else in CH2. Thank you for welcoming us into your classroom each month. We wish you happy holidays, and we'll see you next year!

Cordially,

Meredith Matthews

**Special feature: Are cases of drug-resistant infections like MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) popping up in your community? To help your students learn more about this growing health problem, Current Health 2 is making available an article on MRSA we published in December 2006. Click here to access it.