Studies’ Results Show Successes In Using HIV Treatment As Prevention, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis

Thomson Reuters Foundation: Drugs almost eliminate risk of sex with HIV-positive partner, African study shows
“A daily dose of anti-HIV medication almost eradicates the risk of infection for people in a relationship with an HIV-positive partner, a study showed on Tuesday, raising hopes of reducing HIV rates among one of Africa’s highest risk groups. More than 1,000 Kenyan and Ugandan couples took part in the two-year project where the HIV-positive partner, two-thirds of whom were women, took antiretroviral therapy (ARV) and the HIV-negative one took pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). … The results were announced on Tuesday at the Durban International AIDS Conference in South Africa, where delegates are discussing the U.N. target of ending AIDS as a global health crisis by 2030…” (Migiro, 7/19).

Washington Post: HIV patients with undetectable virus unlikely to infect partner
“When HIV drugs suppress the virus in the blood to very low levels, patients are unlikely to infect their partners during condom-less sex, suggests a new study. After following nearly 900 heterosexual and gay couples for an average of 16 months, researchers found no evidence that uninfected partners became infected after having condom-less sex with an HIV-positive partner with viral suppression. This good news bolsters the role of HIV treatment as a form of prevention, said lead author Alison Rodger of the University College London…” (Seaman, 7/15).

The KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report summarized news and information on global health policy from hundreds of sources, from May 2009 through December 2020. All summaries are archived and available via search.

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