In memoriam: ACT UP Philadelphia fighter Shahiid Robinson, 44, died November 13 of kidney failure.... Outspoken HIV positive South African playwright Gibson Kente died November 7 of AIDS at 72.

On December 3, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson resigned, leaving both a $15 billion pledge against global AIDS and an abstinence-based prevention policy.

On October 14, basketball all-star Yao Ming, a hero in the U.S. and in his homeland China, began debunking transmission myths in Chinese TV spots with HIVer hoops legend Magic Johnson.