[The campaign against AIDS in west Africa: what perspectives at the end of the century? From the situation of the Cote d'Ivoire as observed from the period 1987-1997].

WHO is commissioned to create the World AIDS Program and to elaborate the strategy for the fight against the AIDS pandemic. The standardised strategy for African countries developed in Geneva in 1987 favours the prevention of sexual transmission of HIV without communicating the methods for such. The external and exclusive nature of the technical intervention of WHO and the lack of its adaptation to the dynamics of the epidemic in the 90s, (increase in seroprevalence among pregnant women, increase in the number of sick and HIV infected children, and economical and social consequences of the disease) explain in part the fact that the objectives haven't been reached on the continent a decade later. It seems important to us that the national authorities take responsibility concerning the development of an integrated strategy for AIDS prevention-care that takes into account the determinants of the propagation of the virus in Africa, advocates widespread access to testing-counselling for the general population and pregnant women, provides training for all health personnel concerning care for infected people, and promotes the implementation of social mechanisms for the future and financing for care, including symptomatic treatment for opportunistic infections.