HIV Could Disappear in a Decade, Study Says
By the DiversityInc staff
December 01, 2008
Keywords: HIV, health, healthcare
A new study says HIV, which causes AIDS, could be eliminated in a decade if everyone in countries with high rates of HIV were tested regularly and those who tested positive were treated immediately, The Associated Press reports. The study, published in The Lancet, created a mathematical model based on data from South Africa and Malawi. The model showed HIV cases dropping by 95 percent within 10 years when the proper procedures are followed.
"It's quite a startling result," said Charlie Gilks, an AIDS expert at the World Health Organization (WHO), who was one of the study's authors. "In a relatively short amount of time, we could potentially knock the epidemic on its head."
Experts estimate that the cost of such testing and treatment could be $3.4 billion per year, although that number would drop as the number of cases declined.
The WHO estimates that about 33 million people worldwide currently have HIV, but only 3 million people are currently taking drugs to treat it. However, there are drawbacks to treating everyone who is HIV-positive, according to the AP. AIDS drugs can have severe and sometimes deadly side effects, and such widespread use of them could increase drug resistance. The WHO stressed that the study's findings were theoretical and that the report does not indicate any policy change for the organization.
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