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Gay health: Time to look beyond using drugs to save lives, but not stop the infection, conference hears.
By: John Howard
Two million die from AIDS-related illlness each year
Two million die from AIDS-related illlness each year
Worldwide HIV testing could finish AIDS in 40 years
Scientists and health officials are considering a radical new strategy in the war against HIV that could reduce the transmission of the virus that causes AIDS to a level at which it would die out completely over the next forty years.
It would involve testing most of the world's population for the virus and a lifetime course of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) for those found to be positive, the American Association for the Advancement of Science heard at a meeting in San Diego.
Brian Williams, professor of epidemiology at the South African Centre for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis in Stellenbosch, said 30 million people around the world were infected with HIV, with two million dying each year.
"The tragedy is that the disease continues unabated," he said.
It would involve testing most of the world's population for the virus and a lifetime course of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) for those found to be positive, the American Association for the Advancement of Science heard at a meeting in San Diego.
Brian Williams, professor of epidemiology at the South African Centre for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis in Stellenbosch, said 30 million people around the world were infected with HIV, with two million dying each year.
"The tragedy is that the disease continues unabated," he said.
"The only real success story is the development of these extremely effective drugs that keep people alive and reduce their viral load by up to 2,000 times.
“They become close to non-infectious."
But he added that although the provision of ARVs in the last five years had exceeded expectations, this had not reduced HIV transmission because they were administered too late in the course of infection.
But he added that although the provision of ARVs in the last five years had exceeded expectations, this had not reduced HIV transmission because they were administered too late in the course of infection.
Consequently people had infected "most of the people that they would have infected anyway".
Arguing that it was time to look beyond "using drugs to save lives, but not stop the infection", Williams said that transmission of HIV could effectively be halted within five years with the strategic use of ARV.
Arguing that it was time to look beyond "using drugs to save lives, but not stop the infection", Williams said that transmission of HIV could effectively be halted within five years with the strategic use of ARV.
He revealed that a few clinical trials had already begun in the US, Canada and sub-Saharan Africa.
"I hope we can get to the starting line in one or two years and get complete coverage of patients in five years," he said.
"I hope we can get to the starting line in one or two years and get complete coverage of patients in five years," he said.
"Maybe that's being optimistic, but we're facing Armageddon. The epidemic of HIV is really one of the worst plagues of human history."
