I remember reading in "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell how STDs like HIV can be effectively stopped before they become epidemics. If this antibody can be administered and eliminate a large chunk of people with weaker strains of HIV, then assuming the stronger strains of HIV are in the same geographic area, a strong campaign of eliminating HIV spreading behavior in those areas could really reduce the spread of the disease. But like another poster said we don't know which strains are most prevalent, so it could be that a stronger strain is more widespread.
"a strong campaign of eliminating HIV spreading behavior in those areas could really reduce the spread of the disease."
That's a LOT easier said than done. There's a widely held belief in parts of the world (such as Africa) that having sex with a virgin cleanses one of AIDS. Because of this, child-rape is extremely prevalent in that part of the world. I suppose you could make the case that education is the easier part of solving the AIDS/HIV puzzle, but it's a very large behavioral problem that can not be solved using a scientific approach.
you have a good point but we have no idea which areas are affected by the antibody. If Africa has a majority of strains that are cured, then I'm sure they could stem the spread of the disease in more developed areas. I don't think that belief is widespread outside of africa, or at least I wasn't aware of it.
