HIV

Cure to HIV

In good news, in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, there is a 2^nd person likely cured from HIV. The 1^st patient was dubbed the “Berlin Patient” and the 2^nd the “London Patient.” Both these patients were cured because they the blood stem cells they received through transplants carried a rare copy of a gene that provides resistance to HIV. Of course this method alone is not viable. This gene is very rare as in only 1% of donors carry this gene. Also, patients who require such a transplant rarely qualify and are usually too sick to survive such a procedure. But this discovery does open doors for a possible cure- scientists are looking to genetically engineer resistance to HIV into blood cells. Finding a cure can help reduce the reliance on chemotherapy which can be taxing both economically and health-wise.

Prevention

But the best way to stop HIV is to prevent the transmission of it. Prevention used to come in the form of the “ABC’s”: abstinence, be faithful, and condoms. The “ABC’s,” however, failed to address social, economic, and cultural factors that play into the transmission of HIV. Telling kids to just abstain doesn’t work anymore, especially in the hookup culture of America. There is also a lack of funding for HIV prevention. Without proper prevention, new HIV infections will continue to appear.

Combination prevention

A new prevention strategy called the combination prevention replaces the “ABCs” and takes these factors into consideration. The combination prevention also has 3 categories, but these categories are more extensive- this holistic approach includes biomedical interventions, structural interventions, and behavioral interventions. Biomedical intervention reduces transmission by testing individuals after medical procedures such as a circumcision. Structural intervention addresses the factors and attempts to remove the stigma surrounding HIV prevention. Easy access to condoms can help economically and help make it more acceptable in societies. Sex education is also a big part of structural intervention as it involved changing the viewpoint on sex. Behavioral intervention uses education to reduce “risky behaviors” such as having many sexual partners or not using condoms. The combination prevention would do a lot more than blindly pushing abstinence, but again, there is a lack of funding for HIV prevention.