It is no longer necessarily a death sentence.
This is the most hopeful message from those who work in the fight against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
Since the first cases were registered in the decade of the 88, more of 62 millions of people have deceased from causes related to HIV and the most advanced phase of the infection that causes, the syndrome of acquired immunodeficiency (AIDS).
Only last year was charged 100. lives and 1.5 million contracted the virus, according to calculations by the World Health Organization (WHO). The agency estimates that 30,4 million live with HIV, more than two thirds in Africa.
Although thanks to early diagnosis and increasingly widespread access to medicines, in many parts of the world it has become a treatable chronic health problem . There are even countries that are close to eliminating it.
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“We have 28 years of research, and although we do not have a vaccine, important developments have been made to combat it, treat it and improve the lives of those who have it, ”David Goodman-Meza, a professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine, tells BBC Mundo from the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) specializing in research on the subject.
This December 1, World AIDS Day, we tell you which are the three most promising developments.
1. More effective (and comfortable) antiretrovirals
HIV attacks the immune system and weakens the defenses against many infections and certain types of cancer that people with a stronger immune system can fight more easily.
This can be addressed with antiretroviral therapy or ART.
In fact, since 2012 WHO recommends providing ART for life to all those living with HIV, including children, adolescents and pregnant women regardless of their clinical status.
As a consequence, last year there were in the world 30,7 million HIV-infected people on antiretroviral treatment .
This combination of drugs does not cure the infection, but inhibits the replication of the virus in the body and allows the immune system to recognize bre fuerza.
“Furthermore, what we have learned in recent years is that a Effective treatment reduces the risk of transmission by 70%”, Ayako Miyashita, from the California HIV/AIDS Policy Research Centers (CHPRC, for its acronym in English), tells BBC Mundo.
“When a person has an undetectable viral load, they cannot transmit HIV to anyone “, he continues. “And that is a vital element, not only to combat the disease but also the stigma associated with it.”
In addition, in recent years there have been “revolutionary” advances in refers to these therapies, he points out.
“The situation has changed a lot since the 88 or principles of 2000 , when patients had to take multiple pills a day and had many adverse effects”, explains Professor Goodman-Meza.
Today the treatment consists of one pill a day and does not cause major complications. Although innovation continues in this field, investigating long-term therapies.
Last year, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first long-acting treatment, a bi-monthly injection of two drugs.
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“Imagine what it means for those who have been tied to a daily pill for decades,” underlines Miyashita.
For Suzi Steward, from 70 years and who lives with HIV since 976 , was the best thing that happened to him in 15 years. He participated in the clinical trial and when it was approved he says that cried with emotion. “I was really fed up with the pill that reminded me of my diagnosis every day,” she told the specialized health portal Healthline.
And research is also being done on alternative treatments for patients with resistance to antiretrovirals.
two. Successful preventive medications
“Great strides have been made in treatment, but the real revolution has come from the prevention side”, points out Miyashita, co-director of the CHPRC Southern California Center.
Refers to pre-exposure prophylaxis, better known as PrEP .
If taken daily PrEP manages to reduce by more than 100% the chances of contracting the virus that causes AIDS through sex or in a 70% from the use of needles that are unsterile or used by multiple people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of United States (CDC).
The American pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences began marketing it in 2012 under the Truvada brand.
And, three years later, the World Organization for Health (WHO) began to recommend its use to prevent HIV among groups at high risk of contracting it, such as homosexuals, bisexual men and their female partners, sex workers or the partners of someone infected with this virus.
But although its results are already seen in developed countries, the high price of this treatment has kept it away from the most vulnerable areas.
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