Did ABCs cause Ugandas fall in HIV rates?
The much-publicized “ABC” approach to HIV prevention continues to be mired in controversy, partly because of its focus on abstinence-only sex education programs over condom promotion, a focus that pits political and religious conservatives against their liberal counterparts. Nevertheless, the ABC approach is sometimes credited as being responsible for Uganda’s dramatic decline in HIV rates. A provocative debate in PLoS Medicine considers the two sides to the question of whether the ABCs are helpful or harmful in the battle to control the HIV pandemic. Elaine Murphy and Margaret Green (George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services) argue that “ABC behaviors were attainable in Uganda” and the promotion of ABC messages was “exceptionally successful.” They acknowledge, however, that in some parts of the world women are not empowered to insist on abstinence or fidelity, which leaves them at risk of infection. Nevertheless, they say, many women in Uganda had little
