Early Treatment with Antiretrovirals Prevents Spread OF HIV

Research released in May 2011 and funded by United Nations Programme on HIV/ AID (UNAIDS) has made a breakthrough towards halting the AIDs epidemic. The trials have been conducted in 13 countries in mainly heterosexual couples where one partners is infected and relatively healthy and the other is not. The countries included US, India, Africa, Thailand and Brazil.

The findings have been, that taking the antiretroviral treatment (ART) early and staying on it consistently, prevents infection of the other partner. The trial has been so successful that it ended 3 years early.

The fundamental importance has been placed upon starting the treatment early. The people that took part in the trial had a CD4 count of between 350 and 550, whereas people don’t usually seek treatment until they have a much lower CD4 count and are much sicker.

Treatment with ART is currently not given to patients with a CD4 count of above 350 in most of the world. The United States do start prescribing ART to patients with CD4 count of above 350 but the ART drugs are costly. Turning these findings into a sustainable treatment is the challenge.

This new research is just one more reason to get an HIV test as soon as you think that you have put yourself into an "at risk" situation. Research in BC, released in March 2011 called HAART (Highly Active Anti-retroviral Therapy) showed similar declines in new HIV cases with ART. This research also comes in the same year as new HIV infections in the UK are reported to have doubled over the last decade according to the Health Protection Agency.

If you believe you have contracted the disease, there are several options available for HIV testing. The simplest option may be to contact an STI Clinic. Some clinics offer a walk in rapid HIV testing service. This uses a drop of blood taken from your finger and the test result is available 15 minutes from when the blood sample is taken. The results are either "reactive" which means preliminary positive or negative. If the result is "reactive" you will then have a subsequent test with the blood taken from the vein and sent for confirmation to a laboratory. The alternative to testing at an STI Clinic, is HIV home screening where a saliva sample is sent to a lab for analysis. With a home test, a blood test will still be required to confirm infection, if the saliva sample comes back and is not "all clear".



For more information about HIV testing, Damion recommends that you visit http://www.imperial.nhs.uk/thejefferisswing