14 DAY TRIAL // HIV/AIDS treatment might prevent the spreading of the disease, say Canadian scientists. The British Columbia Center of Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) published a study, funded by the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), that demonstrates that highly active antiretroviral therapy effectively curbs the transmission and spread of the HIV virus.
The HAART is a combination of drugs used to prevent HIV from evolving into AIDS, to increase life expectancy and to reduce HIV-related deaths. This new study concluded that the bigger the level of HAART treatment was, the lower the viral load got in the British Columbia community, especially in population with a record of injection drug use.
Dr Julio Montaner said that “These study results reinforce the effectiveness of HAART in preventing transmission of HIV, and support extending the treatment as prevention model developed at the BC-CfE and now being rolled out in major centers in Canada, the U.S. and elsewhere.” Dr Montaner is the lead author of the study, President of the International AIDS Society (IAS) and a professor and chair in AIDS research at the University of British Columbia.
Gordon Campbell, the Premier of British Columbia said: "The expansion of HAART treatment plays an important role in the health of British Columbians with HIV, preventing HIV transmission and maximizing public health resources. Based on HAART's effectiveness and ongoing research at the BC-CfE, Canada's leading HIV/AIDS organization, the government of B.C. is investing in improving access to HAART through innovative programs such as the Seek and Treat initiative.”
The study was meant to analyze the possible link between the expansion of HAART, viral load and new HIV cases per year, in a Canadian province that offers free access to HIV care. The results showed that HAART is a crucial factor in the advancement of the virus: if HAART coverage grows, HIV diagnosis decreases.
The Executive Director of UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, Michel Sidibé, stated that this treatment is a great health investment because it improves work productivity, it reduces HIV transmission, maternal and child mortality within communities and TB infection. Sidibé says: “The most recent evidence presented by the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS and other leading research organizations supports these facts and tells us that we need to introduce treatment earlier. Treatment not only saves lives, it can be one of the most compelling prevention tools we have.”