Australia could soon be the first country in the world to declare an end to the HIV epidemic. Experts celebrated the falling number of infections at the opening of the 12th International AIDS Society (IAS) conference in Brisbane as a “monumental milestone”.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “The fact that we are now talking about eradicating HIV transmission in any country is unbelievable.” It shows what is possible and gives hope, Ghebreyesus said. Only 555 new HIV infections were recorded in Australia in 2022, according to the University of New South Wales.
Preventive measures such as more HIV testing and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in particular contributed to the success. This is available by prescription for certain people in Australia – and also in Austria – for a small additional cost. HIV-negative people take medicines to protect themselves from contracting the virus. In addition, thanks to current medical possibilities, it is increasingly possible to prevent an HIV infection from developing into an immune deficiency disease, AIDS.
“Australia’s success shows us that we have the science, tools and know-how to stop infections and save lives,” Tedros said. “The challenge we all face now is to replicate this success around the world, especially in the poorest, most marginalized and hardest-to-reach communities.”
Thousands of experts from all fields
Thousands of experts from all fields of science and politics, as well as numerous activists, attend the conference on Australia’s east coast. The latest research and innovative treatment methods will be presented on Thursday. The IAS organizes the conference alternately with the World AIDS Conference. The “AIDS 2024” takes place in Munich.
A virtual panel discussion with US immunologist and former pandemic advocate Anthony Fauci is scheduled for the end of IAS 2023 on how lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic can be applied to the global HIV response. “We must continue to stand against disinformation and stigma because disinformation has really complicated the response to Covid-19 — and in some cases hindered our response to HIV,” Fauci said ahead of the debate. Disinformation and stigma are “the enemies of public health”.
Source: Krone
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