One In Four People Have HIV Under Control

Article written by guest writer Rin Mitchell

What’s the Latest Development?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only one in four people who are infected with HIV have the disease under control—“young people and blacks are the worst.” Reportedly in the United States, “most HIV patients have access to treatment, and guidelines say they all should be offered it right after diagnosis.” However, there is not enough of a financial investment made in the fight against the AIDS epidemic. Harvard researchers think “that the investment would actually save hard-hit South Africa some money over five years, as savings from treating AIDS-related illnesses exceed the medications’ price. Eventually those savings will be overtaken by the costs of treating millions for decades, but treatment-as-prevention still is highly cost-effective.” 

What’s the Big Idea?

“‘It is unacceptable’ that scientifically proven treatment and prevention tools aren’t reaching people who need them most.” The numbers of HIV-infected people who have it under control is extremely low and needs to be dramatically increased. There needs to be more HIV testing, financial investments to reap the societal benefits, research for cures, other methods of protection and research into a HIV-blocking vaccine.