HIV Prevention Research

HIV Prevention Research
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The fight is never over to prevent HIV. So much research goes into the disease every day but it's difficult to get things to evolve as much as necessary. Obviously some countries are more advanced in the fight than others but the statistics in some locations are truly shocking. It's time to take a deeper look into HIV prevention research and what is happening right now to lower the number of people living with the condition.

HIV over the years

It's quite scary to know that between 1988-1995, 78% of people diagnosed with the virus died from complications related to HIV/Aids. We have luckily come a long way since then however. In the United States alone, the groups of people being diagnosed with HIV has expanded. Back when the epidemic first stated, it was mainly contained to young, urban, mlm men and needle drug users. In recent years however, there are more and more men being diagnosed who have sex with other men. The number is also increasing for both women and ethnic minorities. HIV and Aids has also hindered the fight against poverty in third world countries. This really shows that nobody is safe from HIV until the day the illness has been eradicated completely.

Interesting treatment developments

Some people can still be ignorant and scared to even go near someone suffering from the disease. There is a point in treatment, where it's pretty much impossible for those infected with HIV to transmit it to others. This is when they get an "undetectable viral load", basically meaning there is no active virus in their blood. This has changed HIV, while the condition used to basically be a death sentence, it is not very manageable. The risk of passing on the disease to others via sexual contact for those with an undetectable load is almost zero!

HIV prevention research

A big challenge in the prevention of HIV is that the disease can hide in parts of the body where it might not be expected. The disease can be cleared from the bloodstream thanks to antiretroviral drugs. Luckily even more recently, a new drug has been launched that is usually used in chemotherapy. This drug can coax HIV from hidden reservoirs and eliminate the disease. While this isn't a solid cure for HIV, it's definitely a step in the right direction.

As for HIV prevention research today, it's different depending on where in the world you are. In some countries, there is a very high cure rate for the illness but in poorer countries, unfortunately it is not so high. Raising awareness for HIV and beating the stigma associated with the disease is something that NEEDS to be done everywhere, in order to get more research facilities taking notice and action against the epidemic.

Conclusion

Whether you or a family member are suffering with HIV, or you just want to find out more about the subject, there is lots to discover. To learn more about HIV prevention research and what different groups of people are doing in the fight, please check out the following link for facts, figures and other interesting information https://www.avert.org/global-hiv-and-aids-statistics.

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