“We’re at that point we’re at a really historical moment with this.” — Experts say HIV is no longer a terminal illness. According to the World Health Organization, 42.3 million people have died from AIDS-related illnesses since the beginning of the epidemic. But medical science has brought an end to the worst ravages of the virus. People with HIV had a life expectancy of just 39 in 1996. In 2011, the life expectancy was 72 — the same as individuals without HIV.
Today, people living with HIV who have access to treatment can expect to live as long as their peers who do not have HIV.
For most patients, it’s a chronic disease, much like diabetes or heart disease.
“It means likely you can have a normal lifespan and have a similar life to someone who does not have HIV,” says Dr. Ray Martins, chief medical officer at Whitman-Walker Health in Washington.
How did we achieve this? Antiretroviral therapy (ART) largely transformed HIV from a fatal infection into a chronic disease that can be managed.
ART reduces the amount of HIV in the blood to undetectable levels, which also prevents the virus from being sexually transmitted.
And while it is true that many people lack access to treatment, this is a political and social problem — sadly, not something that can be solved by the medical sciences.
So while we still have a ways to go, scientists have done their very best. Now, it is up to those in power to ensure individuals have the necessary access.
Source: Hashem Al-Ghaili
