Two decades after the first AIDS case was reported, more than 3,000 delegates, including heads of state from Kenya, Ethiopia and Botswana, began a special session of the United Nations General Assembly to focus on the AIDS crisis.

The three-day summit, which is the first of its kind, is set to conclude on Wednesday with the signing of a formal declaration that will outline goals for treatment and education about the AIDS pandemic across the globe.

While many countries differ in their stance towards AIDS, Secretary of State Colin Powell emphasized the fact that, “prevention, prevention and more prevention” was the key to stopping the spread of this devastating disease. On the other hand, Sharonann Lynch of the Heath Gap Coalition claimed that, “There’s too much talk about prevention being the No. 1 priority, not enough about treatment – it’s a human rights disaster.”

Truly, this disease is nothing less than a disaster. Currently, there are 36 million people infected worldwide with AIDS or HIV, and 25 million of those cases exist in Africa alone. In response to the startling fact that one-fourth of the South African population faces an early death as a result of AIDS, Secretary General Kofi Annan called upon the assembly on Monday to stop stigmatizing victims of the disease: “Let us remember that every person who is infected – whatever the reason – is a fellow human being, with human rights and human needs.”

As members of the summit decide whether they should put their monetary donations toward AIDS prevention campaigns or antiretroviral treatment, let us take a moment to talk about AIDS in America today. Do you still feel there is a stigma attached to the virus? Do you see yourself as vulnerable to the disease? Are you more or less afraid of AIDS than you were 10 years ago? Do you think this conference will help alleviate the devastation AIDS has caused in Africa?