How and why AIDS changed drug policy in Switzerland.

Switzerland implemented a harm reduction program and reduced the spread of HIV within the drug scene, and from drug users into other population groups, earlier than many countries. Each canton developed strategies based on its drug problem. By 1985 it was obvious that 'needle sharing' was the most significant pathway in the transmission of HIV.

The early response to AIDS in Switzerland: a personal view.

Switzerland responded quickly to the AIDS epidemic, through cooperation with the most affected groups, explicit education of politicians and the public, and concerted action from health authorities. Important elements of the early response included: a brochure informing every Swiss household about AIDS, its transmission, and the social unity that would be required to deal with it; evaluation showing that the public was learning the facts but behavior of those at risk was not changing; and then a public campaign, STOP AIDS, that continues. Health authorities learned from and worked intensively with groups infected early, and found a continuing challenge in explaining to politicians and the public why the government should support prevention activities for gay men, hemophiliacs, and intravenous drug users.

Childhood obesity--a sign of commercial success, but a market failure.

'Obesogenic' products, such as energy dense foods, passive entertainment products, cars, and labour-saving devices, are widely available and heavily promoted. Because they are highly consumed and very profitable, obesity becomes the inevitable consequence of their commercial successes. Contemporary market forces heavily favour behaviours for short-term preferences (i.

Costs of treatment of Swiss patients with HIV on antiretroviral therapy in hospital-based and general practice-based care: a prospective cohort study.

Some ambulant people with HIV are cared for primarily by their general practitioner and some in an outpatient clinic. Costs and patterns of care in these settings were studied in 65 such patients based in Zürich, from a limited societal perspective (excluding patient costs) based on medical resource use. Antiretroviral therapy (ART), other medications and patient variables were collected prospectively, and non-medication resources (professional time and investigations) and treatment history data were collected from medical records and by record linkage to the Swiss HIV Cohort Study database.