An AIDS-free generation within reach

published on December 1, 2011 in Vancouver Sun

Do we have the vision to deliver on our pledges?

Over the last decade, compelling evidence has accumulated to show that an AIDS-free generation is within reach. Regrettably, we have failed to exert the necessary political leadership to implement the strategy. However, there are signs that the tide may be turning.

With support from the B.C. government, the US National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), B.C. has shown that effective treatment of a person living with HIV puts the disease into virtual long-term remission and dramatically reduces HIV transmission. Implementation of the made-in-B.C. Treatment as Prevention strategy in our province has dramatically reduced new AIDS diagnoses, AIDS deaths, and new HIV diagnoses. In fact, B.C. is the only province in Canada seeing a consistent, steady decline in new HIV diagnoses.

A total of 301 new HIV diagnoses were made in 2010, a nearly 65% reduction from the 850 cases diagnosed per year prior to 1996. During this time, the Treatment as Prevention strategy developed by the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) has averted approximately $275 million in costs to the health care system in British Columbia. In addition to the impact on the individual, their friends and their families, each new HIV case has a lifelong therapeutic cost (medication only) of about $500,000.

More >>

View the full article >>

Tags:

Treatment as Prevention®

BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS

Search form

An AIDS-free generation within reach

Search form