In a World AIDS Day editorial, The New York Times weighs the pros and cons of a new World Health Organization mathematical model that suggests a possible end to the global AIDS epidemic within the next few years.

Analysts estimate that if most adolescents and adults were tested once a year for HIV and if those who tested positive were immediately treated with antiretroviral drugs, the transmission of AIDS could be nearly eliminated within a decade.

Though the impact could be remarkable, the Times affirms that persuading people to get tested every year and paying for the cost of testing and treating so many people are among the problem areas that the model has yet to resolve.

WHO researchers believe that the approach suggested by the model could be cheaper than the current practice of waiting to treat HIV until the virus has progressed to an advanced stage.