PIP: Study findings into the AIDS epidemic were presented at a public lecture at the London School of Hygiene and Public Health to counter press and television reports that the problem of AIDS is greatly exaggerated. A study funded by the Medical Research Council is Britain found that more than 50% of all adult deaths and 80-90% of all deaths among those aged 13-44 in rural part of Uganda are due to HIV infection. 10,000 people of 15 neighboring villages in the Masaka district of southwest Uganda were followed with annual medical examinations and censuses starting in September 1990. 4.8% were infected with HIV overall; 8.2% were infected among those aged 13 and over. The incidence of HIV infection during the 1st year of follow up was 1%. Almost 25% of adults infected with HIV died during the 2-year follow up period of the study suggesting a rate of disease progression twice that observed in industrialized countries. There was excess mortality of 17/1000 among people aged 25-34 and mortality among people infected with HIV was 11.6%/year. Among those who died it was also observed that less than 10% had clinical signs of AIDS at medical examination before death; 44% had no major symptom; 48% had 1 or more major symptoms; and 50% rapidly progressed from being asymptomatic to having fatal AIDS. It was observed in the study that infection with HIV increased the risk of death within 1 year by 60-fold. AIDS in Africa is not being overdiagnosed, but cases of advanced HIV disease are not being recognized. Researchers do not know why the epidemic in Africa is different from those in Europe and the US. It is thought, however, that the most important social conditions promoting the heterosexual spread of HIV are poverty and the lack of women's empowerment. In response, some audience members accused the speakers of racism and blaming female sex workers in Africa for the epidemic.