Treatments and Medications
Globally, the number of new HIV infections peaked in the late 1990s and has since stabilized at a constant rate. New treatments continue to be developed, stressing fewer pills and fewer daily doses. New medications using new mechanisms of action and new treatment targets in hopes of giving people with HIV resistance new treatment options.Maraviroc - A New Way to Treat HIV
These advances continue to slow the progression from HIV to AIDS. AIDS deaths and new AIDS cases have declined in some parts of the world and have risen in others. In parts of the world where HIV medications are readily available, people are living longer and healthier with HIV. However, since medicines are allowing AIDS patients to live longer, AIDS prevalence (the number of people living with AIDS) continues to rise. One source reports a 12% increase in AIDS prevalence since 1995. In addition, a decrease in new AIDS cases means an increase in HIV prevalence (number of people living with HIV), in other words, people infected with HIV are living longer before acquiring AIDS defining illnesses. This increase in HIV prevalence means a growing burden on our prevention and treatment services, and diminshing resources to take care of the growing HIV population.
Drug Assistance Program Waiting Lists Get Longer
Growing Segments of the HIV Population
Sources in the US report an average of 40,000 new HIV infections each year. A disturbing trend is that a growing proportion of these new cases are minorities and women. In addition, African American women and Hispanics show an increased incidence of HIV infection. A large share of infection in African American women results from heterosexual contact with men having sex with other men. Because of the stigma associated with homosexuality in the African American community, gay and bisexual men are having sex with women as well as men in order to avoid being labelled. In addition, these stigmas discourage testing and drive men "underground" to have sex with other men, greatly affecting HIV testing and prevention efforts.HIV Among the African American Population
Progress Has Stabilized
After a long period of decline since the advent of HIV medications, the number of AIDS deaths has stabilized. In fact, in some populations, the number of deaths have increased slightly. Researchers believe that the combination of a dramatic increase in the number of AIDS diagnosis and an increased rate of treatment failures is responsible for this trend. This fact illustrates the importance of developing new treatment options and new treatment targets.A New Treatment Target - Integrase Inhibitors
HIV/AIDS Statistics
At the end of 2006, The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS released some sobering statistics about the HIV pandemic:- 38.6 million people were living with HIV/AIDS by the end of 2005
- In 2005, 2.8 million people died from HIV related causes.
- In 2005, 4.1 million people worldwide became newly infected with HIV
What Must We Do?
In order to give long-term HIV patients a continued chance to live a healthy life, work must continue on new treatment options.- Surveillance techniques must be improved to better track the spread of the epidemic and to identify populations with rising rates of infection.
- Prevention efforts must be targeted to high risk populations.
- HIV education and prevention efforts in developing countries must continue as must the funding of these efforts by the countries of the western world.
- Continue medication research and development to slow the epidemic.
- Work in the field of HIV vaccines must continue.
- New and continuing sources of research, prevention, and treatment funding must be found in order to care for the growing HIV population.
