PIP: An estimated two million new adult and pediatric HIV infections occurred worldwide during 1992, more than 50% of them in sub-Saharan Africa, 25% in Asia, and one-eighth in Latin America and the Caribbean. The remaining infections occurred in Europe, North America, and the industrialized countries of the Pacific Rim. Transmission by sexual intercourse and from an infected woman to her fetus/child remain major routes of transmission. The World Health Organization estimates that there will be a cumulative total of 30-40 million people infected with HIV by the year 2000. Over time, increasing numbers of people already infected with HIV and soon to be infected will develop AIDS and require higher levels of care. Obstacles to increasing access to cost-effective drugs for HIV/AIDS in developing countries, however, include weak drug distribution systems, the improper prescribing of available drugs by health workers, and the improper use of these drugs by patients who have not been appropriately educated by prescribing health workers. Currency shortages and lack of political will underlie these obstacles. This paper considers cost-effective prophylaxis and treatment of HIV-related infections including tuberculosis, candidiasis, penicilliosis, combined chemoprophylaxis, pruritus and diarrhea with wasting, and HIV infection. The prevention of HIV transmission is discussed under headings on heterosexual and perinatal transmission, followed by a discussion on increasing access to cost-effective drugs.