What is aids nowadays that people don't seem to die from it anymore? i remember the 1980's.

A bad disease: Hiv infection is quite manageable in most individuals today due to combinations of antiretroviral medicines which help to control the disease. Some of these medicines, however, have significant side-effects, may be difficult to tolerate and are expensive. In 1986 i was losing a patient a week. Last three years saw only three deaths, generally in people not compliant with medications.

Still here: Medications have improved so that it is now a chronic disease. If people don't take them, then they can rapidly decompensate and maybe end up with drug-resistant strains of virus. Best treatment is still prevention. Long-term side-effects of the meds are now appearing like high blood lipids, among others.

Still serious: Aids is still the same disease, but there are better meds to keep it under control. People who are hiv+ without full-blown aids can be asymptomatic. However, we are seeing more long-term problems: new cancers from the depressed immune system, kidney problems, etc. This is still a terrible disease, and we can't stop being vigilant in terms of education and preventive measures, exp. Safe sex.