ABSTRACT
In Cuba, the medical establishment's response to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) was immediate and thorough; its goal was to prevent an epidemic by identifying, isolating, and treating, to the extent medically possible, all persons infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) virus, whether or not they had developed AIDS. The most controversial aspect of Cuba's program for combatting AIDS has been the creation of sanitoriums for the compulsory isolation of those Cubans who test positive for HIV antibodies. Dr. Fernando Zakarias of the Pan American Health Organization's AIDS division has visited the sanitariums regularly. Puerto Rico has the highest per-capita rate of new AIDS cases in the United States, more than three times the national average. AIDS is associated with homosexuality even in a country where the majority of virus carriers are heterosexual. The experience of people with AIDS in Brazil and many other countries is similar to that in the United States.
