AIDS is still a problem all over the world and especially in New York City. The epidemic will never end until a vaccine is found. Until that time, public health must focus on prevention so that less of society will have to deal with the problem of AIDS. In Queens, efforts to reach out to at-risk groups have been made and the programs have shown signs of effectiveness with the number of diagnoses each year decreasing overall since they peaked in the middle 90’s (12). Based on all the different types of programs that exist for AIDS prevention in Queens, one would think that living in this area would be ideal. Yet, the spread of AIDS is ongoing and the programs to prevent the spread must continue as well. Some targets of the current prevention plan in Queens include youths, Hispanics, IDU, MSM, and even WSW (13). The existing programs provide a good foundation to build on because the resources and funds already exist.
Queens, in general is quite diverse and so targeting one area of risk factors is more difficult. When AIDS first came to public health’s attention in the early 80’s, the main risk factors for contracting AIDS were MSM and IDUs. Even to this day those populations are still the highest at risk populations, but there is cause for concern among other populations. Those other populations are those in poverty and those of minorities. Public health needs to concentrate on reaching the cultures of minorities to change certain behaviors. This is by no means an easy process and failure is to be expected.