Tough measures to curtail the incidence Of AIDS have helped Cuba win what often seems a losing battle in many parts of the world. The methods, adopted a decade ago, include the quarantine of people infected with DIV and an extensive screening programme for pregnant women, blood donors, people with sexually transmitted diseases and Cubans who have lived abroad. "At the start of the epidemic, putting people in the sanatoriums played a critical role in limiting the extent of infection," says Reinaldo G Gill, an epidemologist in charge of the Cuban health ministry's AIDS programme.

Hard statistics tend to support Gil's assertion. The country, according to the World Health Organization, can also claim to be among those with the lowest incicl@nce [2] Of AIDS in Latin America and the Caribbean: 0.8 reported cases per 100,000 people compared to the Bahamas with 131.4 cases, Bermuda with 77.2, Brazil with 4.7 cases and Honduras with 13.6.