Following a global AIDS workshop at Harvard University last weekend that aimed to involve businesses in the fight against the disease, the company VaxGen announced on Monday the results of the first large AIDS vaccine test. While the test showed the vaccine did not prevent infection overall, it did provide interesting results by reducing infection rates in non-Hispanic minorities. With this news coming so soon after the forum, it only substantiates the ample opportunities for corporations to fund and help efforts to reduce AIDS and HIV infections.

As the first of four forums, the Harvard conference should continue to push this important issue into the spotlight since President Bush highlighted his AIDS proposal in his State of the Union address last month. With so many people affected and the disease still spreading even further, it deserves more attention if the world ever hopes to drastically reduce infections. The conferences also appropriately target Africa and Asia, which desperately need more awareness, treatment and prevention efforts.

Although the epidemic of AIDS and HIV can seem impossible to tackle, the latest vaccine trial exemplifies the need for further research. Although it did not find a panacea for prevention, the study does provide hope because of its effectiveness with reducing minority infections. Businesses, scientists and governments should continue to inject funding into promising leads like this to continue working toward prevention.

Businesses can also provide much needed money to increase what already works for preventing AIDS: education. Especially in other countries, education helps people understand what behaviors increase the risk of infection and why condoms can drastically reduce the risk. Simple tactics can have a surprisingly substantial effect on this massive problem.

However, more complicated and expensive methods are necessary from the medical standpoint. Research on finding a possible vaccine and more effective drugs must continue, while efforts also need to find ways to bring the costs of current medications down, especially in Africa and Asia. Just dumping pills into these poorer regions will not effectively combat the AIDS epidemic, but efforts to make them easier to use, more affordable and better distributed will help.

Regardless of exactly how businesses and governments work together in the fight, last weekend’s signs of cooperation are promising. Ideally, these partnerships will start small and then expand. Making sure AIDS and HIV continue to receive attention and funding benefits everyone.