Medical and social attention to HIV infection has declined globally and is increasingly focused on developing regions, where the epidemic is still largely uncontrolled. In North America and western Europe, AIDS is rarely in newspaper headlines or mentioned in television news. The success of antiretroviral therapy largely explains this change in the perception of HIV/AIDS, which was once a life-threatening disease but is now, more many, viewed as a chronic illness. Indeed, individuals on treatment currently benefit from life expectancies close to those of people who are HIV negative.