The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) compromises the functioning of the immune system. This is the main reason why healthcare professionals have expressed a lot of concern about the way HIV-positive people could be affected by Covid-19. Have their fears of negative outcomes come true? Here’s what data shows so far.
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Studies show it’s very important to educate at-risk individuals about the basics of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). When such information is provided, effectiveness increases and the need to administer post-exposure prophylaxis or PEP goes down.
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A recent study has confirmed the fact that the way in which HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is administered plays a role in its effectiveness. The extensive trial involved 4,600 at-risk individuals who were given regular or injectable PrEP. The infection rate was significantly reduced in the event of injectable PrEP administration.
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A second person has gone back to having a HIV-negative status after a stem cell transplant. Known as the London Patient, the HIV-positive man received a transplant from a HIV-resistant person that helped for the complete eradication of the virus.
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The world has made a massive leap forward when it comes to the management of HIV/AIDS. The condition is no longer a death sentence the way in was in the 1980s and 90s. Still, effective prevention strategies will be required to further slow down the spread of the virus in 2020 and the years to come.
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Clinical studies focused on a new antibody-based treatment suggest that the medication is effective enough to prevent the passage of the HIV virus from pregnant mother to baby. While this is still a preliminary trial, the new treatment option is demonstrating a lot of promise.
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The 1980s and 1990s were marked by the peak of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In 1981, there were 270 cases of the infection. By the end of 1984, the number of infections reached 7,699 in the US alone and 762 cases in Europe. The AIDS crisis marks a really dark time period but it has also given birth to life-saving research.
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Researchers have discovered a new HIV strain for the first time since 2000. It belongs to the Group M of HIV – the subset that is responsible for the AIDS pandemic. This new discovery will help for the development of more accurate HIV tests to detect the new viral mutation.
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HIV and AIDS treatments are delivered orally right now, which makes them expensive and unavailable across the world. Researchers are working on a trans-dermal micro needling patch that can deliver medications for a prolonged period of time and reduce the cost of the HIV/AIDS therapy.
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American researchers have studied a tissue sample from the 1960s, recovering nearly the entire HIV virus genetic code. Based on this information, the researchers can determine accurately when the human immunodeficiency virus passed from chimps to humans. Some earlier estimates suggest this happened in the 1920s but the latest research establishes an earlier date in the 1900s. Determining when the HIV epidemics began is very important because the timeframe will enable scientists come up with the factors that facilitated the spread of the virus.
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