The 1st phase of the Ministry of Health of Zambia's US$4 million mass education campaign for the prevention of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), carried out in 1988-89 with help from Sweden and Norway, appears to have been highly effective. 95% of rural residents are now aware of AIDS, and the majority know the disease has no cure. In urban areas, the "Times of Zambia" and the "Zambia Daily Mail" have presented AIDS educational messages on their front pages. In rural areas, residents have been reached through marketplace performances and use of the existing primary health care infrastructure. In addition, health workers have received extensive training on counseling AIDS patients and their relatives as well as contact tracing. AIDS will soon be part of the science curriculum in Zambian schools and more street performances are being organized. Presumably as a result of the AIDS education campaign, the number of reported cases of other sexually transmitted diseases has declined--in Lusaka, example, reported cases dropped from 109,496 in 1987 to 101,286 in 1988. There has also been a dramatic increase in the demand for condoms, although part of this may reflect family planning program efforts. By July 1989, Zambia had a total of 2104 reported cases of AIDS.