I applaud "When Nurses Die of AIDS" (Editorial, August). As an AIDS-certified RN and someone living with HIV, the news that there are HIV-infected nurses all over the world is nothing new to me. Tragically, however, most people don't know this. Nurses in the developing world are dying daily, leaving behind their children, families, and patients. Yet nurses have remained fairly silent on this subject. I hope that your editorial will open up meaningful discussion.

While the plight of nurses contracting HIV disease in the developing world is tragic, HIV infection is not limited to poor nations. As a former chair and longtime member of the HIV Positive Nurses Committee of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC), I can attest that this committee has gone from being a small group of gay male nurses to a more diverse group that reflects the true scope of the pandemic. Nurses need to help nurses. It is time to shatter AIDS apathy and replace it with nursing advocacy.

Richard S. Ferri, PhD, ANP, ACRN, FAAN

Provincetown, MA