We kicked off December this past weekend with World HIV/AIDS Day. And you might be thinking, with all the medical progress that’s been made, why we are still calling attention to this in 2024? But despite progress in treatment and prevention, South Africa continues to have the highest HIV burden in the world and remains a significant public health issue. And because of this, there is still much work to be done to combat stigma, increase awareness and ensure fair and easy access to healthcare services for all.
While significant strides have been made in reducing new infections and improving treatment, HIV/AIDS continues to affect millions of people worldwide. According to UNAIDS, there are approximately 38-million people living with HIV globally and 1.5-million new infections occur each year. South Africa is home to approximately 7.5-million people living with HIV, which is nearly 20% of the global burden.
The key challenges faced in South Africa today, include: stigma and discrimination – many people living with HIV face societal judgement, which discourages testing and treatment; free access to preventative tools, like pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and condoms; and treatment gaps – not all individuals diagnosed are receiving the health care they need to achieve viral suppression.
However, despite these challenges, there have been significant breakthroughs over recent years that deserve our attention and we’re here to also help share the knowledge and information.
– Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) has transformed HIV from a fatal illness into a manageable chronic condition. What does this mean? When taken consistently, ART reduces the viral load to undetectable levels, making it impossible to transmit the virus sexually.
– PrEP, mentioned above, is a daily medication that reduces the risk of HIV infection by over 90% when taken as prescribed. – Promising strides are being made in the development of an HIV vaccine. Researchers are also exploring new cure strategies, such as gene editing and immune therapies, though these remain in early stages.
By sharing this information and by keeping this important discussion top of mind, we are helping to create public awareness, which helps to reduce stigma and reduce the barrier to diagnosis and treatment. If you have any questions about HIV/AIDS, treatment options or preventative measures, speak to your medical doctor.