SEATTLE, Washington – Though there have been multiple biomedical advances to prevent and treat HIV and AIDS in the last decade, these innovations have not been accessible to everyone. Barriers remain in the form of stigma, lack of supportive policy, a dearth of robust health systems and even more challenges unique to each country. Here is more information about three biomedical interventions for HIV prevention.
Treatment as Prevention (TasP)
Treatment as prevention is when people with HIV use antiretroviral therapy that makes HIV undetectable. It lowers the virus to less than 50 copies/milliliter of HIV in the blood so that there is effectively no risk of transmitting the virus. There is increasing evidence through HPTN-052, the PARTNER trial and the Opposites Attract study that indicates if a person with HIV is undetectable they will not spread the virus. However, the reality of using treatment as prevention as a tool is complex. People first need to know their HIV status, have regular access to health services and regularly take their medication. Below are two case studies that show its success and where it remains a challenge.