In 2014, UNAIDS proposed an ambitious set of targets for the global scale-up of HIV treatment. This approach to the HIV response is based on research showing that early, life-long HIV treatment can dramatically improve the health of people living with HIV and can also dramatically reduce HIV transmission. The new UNAIDS strategy emphasizes that the tremendous potential of HIV treatment is not being realized, not even in developed countries like Canada. This must change to bring the HIV epidemic under control.
In this article we will explore the crucial role HIV prevention work can play in the UNAIDS call for a “new narrative on HIV treatment.”
What are the benefits of HIV treatment?
HIV treatment can dramatically improve the health and extend the life of people living with HIV. With the development of better-tolerated HIV treatments, research is showing that starting treatment early, before the virus has a chance to cause damage to the immune system, is important for achieving the best health outcomes.
HIV treatment works by suppressing the amount of virus in the blood to low or undetectable levels and this can also significantly reduce the risk of HIV transmission. In 2011, a landmark study known as HPTN 052 demonstrated for the first time that early treatment can significantly reduce the risk of sexual HIV transmission under certain conditions in heterosexual serodiscordant couples (where one partner is HIV positive and the other is HIV negative). In March 2014, a preliminary analysis of the PARTNER study reported the first direct evidence that effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) can also significantly reduce HIV risk for gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM).