Dec. 1 marks World AIDS Day. As researchers focused on fighting the HIV-AIDS epidemic, we are increasingly concerned all the progress made in the fight against the virus is at risk.
In 1996, the first remarkable breakthrough against the HIV-AIDS epidemic came with the novel combination of drugs that became known as Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART).
For the first time, HAART was able to stop viral replication and render the virus undetectable in blood and bodily fluids, and consequently promote immune reconstitution. This in turn would prevent an HIV infection from developing into AIDS, significantly reducing premature deaths.
Treatment as prevention
The next major breakthrough came in the early 2000s. Through close monitoring of the epidemic in British Columbia, our research documented that HIV infected individuals who have consistent viral suppression with HAART are virtually unable to transmit the infection. This led us to recommend initiating HAART immediately following HIV diagnosis to accelerate overall HIV/AIDS control.
We called the strategy Treatment as Prevention (TasP) to illustrate the fact that HAART simultaneously stops progression to AIDS, premature death and HIV transmission.