For over a decade, there's been a debate about how to confront HIV. Should the primary front be in prevention via education, awareness, condom promotion, etc...? Or should it be via treatment & support, AKA "Treatment as Prevention."? I've made my feelings known about this before. I think relying on treatment as prevention is a flawed strategy.
They're both incredibly important. But ask yourself, would you rather have a great treatment plan available or would you rather never have contracted HIV in the 1st place? I know which option I'd choose.
Take the auto industry. For a long time, they opted to make cars stronger & more damage resistant so they could better survive accidents. Think of early crash test dummies & all those tests about slamming into concrete barriers. The cars were you, the barrier was the virus & the dummies showed whether or not you got infected.
Today, manufacturers still employ safety options like crash zones, strong frames, airbags, seat belts & the like. But, they've changed their focus to things that can prevent the accident in the 1st place, like cameras, sensors, brake control, alerts, etc... There are even commercials about avoiding the accident thanks to this technology.
They still tout the strength of their vehicles & their ability to survive a collision. But, they realize it's better if the accident never happened at all. These new technologies being implemented in cars, they're the prevention angle of fighting HIV. Let's not become + to begin with, if we can help it & we can help it.
Both approaches are needed. They're prongs in the battle with HIV. But, I will always contend prevention should be our 1st course of action. The people who fight tobacco believe this. That's why they've being trying to make tobacco less available & visible since the 1970s. They're approach is working, the current approach in the war on HIV is not nearly as successful as it should be.
Caution & prevention are easier to live with when it comes to HIV than being on a life long regimen to manage a chronic illness. I'm acutely aware of that point. Be as safe as possible.
Take care.
Cya...
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