Last week, the United States governmentannounced a major education and research campaignagainst Alzheimer's disease.The brain-wasting disease has no cure.The plan includes more effortsto develop drugs to prevent it.In the United States, more than five million peoplehave Alzheimer's or some other form of dementia.As the population gets older,the number is expected to reach almost eight millionby twenty-thirty.By then, experts say Alzheimer'sand other dementia disorders could affect as manyas sixty-six million people worldwide.The national Alzheimer's plan calls on scientiststo develop treatments to prevent the diseaseby twenty twenty-five.Officials at the National Institutes of Healthhave promised fifty million dollarsto help support that effort.NIH held a conference of the nation'stop Alzheimer's researcherswhere NIH Director Francis Collins discussed the plan.FRANCIS COLLINS: "We have learned more about this diseasein the last couple of years than probably ever before.And now the goal is to take thatand translate it into interventions."Early next year, scientistsat the Banner Alzheimer's Institute in Arizonaplan to begin human testing of an experimental drug.The drug is called crenezumab,and the hope is it will prevent Alzheimer's.The study will involve members of a large extended familyliving in villages in the Medellin area in Colombia.Some of the family members have a rare genetic disorderthat causes them to get early-onset Alzheimer's.They begin to show signs of mental loss in their mid-fortiesand fully develop the disease by their early fifties.Three hundred people have agreed to be in the study.One-third of them will receive crenezumab.The others will be given a placebo,a pill that does not contain any drug.They will not know if they have been giventhe drug or the placebo.The study will also include a smaller number of peoplein the United States.Pierre Tariot will help lead the study,known as a human trial.He says all of the people have been informedthat the drug might not workor that they might receive a placebo.Mr. Tariot says the people still wanted to be in the study.PIERRE TARIOT: "They have been facedwith this devastating illness hitting every generationfor hundreds of years.As one of them put it, 'There are many rivers to crossbut at least we're at the first bank.'And that's kind of the attitude that people have had."Scientists hope that if the drug worksin those facing early-onset Alzheimer's,then it might also help older people.The study in Colombia could take as long as five years,but researchers believe they could get results in two years.And that's the VOA Special English Health Report.You can learn more about Alzheimer's diseaseand find a link to the national plan at 51voa.com.