Sweden Meets HIV Goals...

 

Sweden is the 1st country to meet the goals set by UNAIDS & WHO.  This article details their progress.  The goals were part of the Treatment As Prevention  approach of ending the battle against HIV.  I've never been the biggest proponent of this approach.  It typically places the merits of treatment over all over tactics such as community outreach, education & non pharmaceutical prevention methods.  

Most of the world won't meet the goals.  Which was to vastly limit or eliminate further transmission of the virus by 2030.  Thus in time ending the threat.  However, again the Sweden is the only country to meet & surpass the goals.  The goals were 95-95-95.  

This means that 95 percent of all people living with HIV in the country have been diagnosed, 95 percent of these are receiving treatment, and 95 percent of those treated have undetectable levels of the virus in their blood. The targets are to be reached by 2025.

Sweden's figures are even better: 96 percent have been diagnosed, 99 percent are on treatment and 98 percent have undetectable virus levels.

According to this piece & others, the US won't meet this goal.  Much of the blame falls on the US government.  COVID hampered things.   But various members of the government have failed to insure adequate resources to meet these goals.  Add to that social issues, questionable access, lack of awareness/education & a faulty healthcare system, not meeting these goals was a given.

Sweden has proven it's possible to have an impact on this course.   I have doubts for the rest of the world, especially the US.  Until the power in the conservative, traditionalist & orthodox sector of this country is gone, there's no hope for success in this venture.

Cya...

More Than Treatment Is Needed...

 

Treatment as prevention is not working.  IMO, it was never a solid concept.  It was a push meds.  Awareness, education, testing & other preventative measures should never have been marginalized so  pharmaceutical companies could hawk more drugs.   

While deaths from HIV/AIDS have lessened transmissions have risen.   This article provides some info on that matter.  This is a concise piece with maps.  I normally wouldn't quote this much, but it's the entire point.

Situation & trends In 2022, the global number of people living with HIV was roughly 39.0 million, compared to 26.6 million in 2000.

Even if meds have prevented the deaths of possibly millions.  The virus has spread & grown by a ⅓ globally.  How?

The WHO African Region remains most severely affected, with 1 in every 30 adults (3.2%) living with HIV and accounting for two-thirds of the people living with HIV worldwide. In 2022, the number of people living with HIV reached 25.6 million in this region.

⅔ of the people living with HIV in the world live in Africa.   It's a huge continent, but how is it that a single place could account for that number?  While this area continues to need more medication.  It also has a vast need for other approaches to help stop transmissions before they happen.  What will work?   I don't know.  Africa has faced this & other deadly diseases for generations & little seems to have lasting impact.  There are too many cultural, religious, economic & other health issues.  Many of these hinder, if not completely prevent, the fight against HIV.

What should be done?  That's a good question.  I don't have any answers.  But I do know that treatment alone has failed.

Cya...

Wow...

 

We actually made it through a Thursday without losing power.   It was beginning to be a thing, an unwanted thing.  It's Friday & another week ends without too much weather BS.

We have to go shopping in a bit & there weren't any good articles this morning.  Some people are angry that for the last several months the CDC is pushing universal HIV treatment over PrEP.  PrEP has not been anywhere near as successful as it was thought it would be.  The CDC has opted to focus on treatment as prevention as it has for years.   They aren't denying the abilities of PrEP, they're noting the failed application of the med.  So, use condoms, play safer & get tested.

Cya...

Chicken Or Egg...

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...

TasP & Other Problems...

I've never been a proponent of treatment as prevention (TasP) to fighting HIV.   This article about South Africa shows the deficiencies of  TasP.    It showed even in places where half the infected were being treated, the transmissions failed to decline.   How much of the population has to be treated before there's serious impact on transmission?   Because treating 100% is a pipe dream.

We've heard all sorts of things about condoms.  Putin's Russia is blaming them for the spread of the virus.  Just ludicrous.  We've seen before how police officers  use the presence of condoms as evidence against sex workers.  This article tells how this is the now the case in China.    Now, the sex workers are less apt to use condoms so they can more easily avoid arrest.  Way to go cops, you're now a vector in the spread of HIV.

The medical world praised TasP & PReP, but they're not the silver bullet.  There is no panacea for HIV.   Treatment must be accompanied by education, information, prevention, testing, condom usage & any other reasonable tool we can develop.   Sticking our head in the sand with Tasp & PReP won't work.  These 2 options are preferred because they make pharmaceutical companies billions & they're easier.  Cheap & easy has failed.  You're looking to fight HIV, not a quick hook-up off of Grindr.   

If you want results, do the work.

Cya..

Policy Failures...

I read headlines stating HIV transmissions rates are rising.  The writers seem so shocked.  Why?

The efforts established to fight HIV during the 80's & 90's have been abandoned or underfunded so they can no longer operate.  The government stepped up the abysmal failure of abstinence only propaganda & systematically defunded programs educating about HIV.  Those providing testing, counseling & assistance have also been gutted.  Often by the allegedly well meaning Affordable Care Act.

They've moved towards a treatment as prevention  strategy.  I still call BS on this approach.   To treat them, you have to test them.  To test them, you have to make them aware of the situation enough to go get tested.  Treatment as prevention is a failure.

The only thing this approach supports is the pharmaceutical companies, like the 1 making Truvada.  You know, the PrEP drug.   Its catching on so well.  Sarcasm.

We had a plan. We had a working method.  But apparently funding big pharma was more important.  So, of course the transmission rates are climbing.   

Cya...

Common Sense...

This article states a blatant fact about HIV treatment.  Adequately treating HIV in + people not only treats their condition, but that of the community.  When HIV treatment is widespread in an area, the viral transmission rates drop.

By treating the individuals, you're treating the community.  It's a simple concept, but some fail to grab it.  The likelihood of a person transmitting the virus is lessened if they are being treated & educated.  HIV is isn't something you can hope to cure in a surgical strike.  It needs a full catch-all net approach to even have a chance of lessening the numbers of infected.

It's a good article, read it.

Cya...

$$$...

Money, money, money

Must be funny

In a rich man's world...

Abba

This article & many others on the web are finally really starting to take on the subject of $ & HIV treatment. The new mode of fighting HIV, is that HIV treatment is in itself, HIV prevention.  They have a point, maybe not the whole point, but a point none the less.  But with their point, comes a sticking point or 2.

An AIDS-Free world via HIV treatment would more than double the number of people on HIV meds.  These meds are expensive.  So, this will also more than double the costs.

Add to that the political, cultural  & religious stigma & discrimination against people with HIV & now you're looking at one hell of a fight.  People are already touchy about their $, then you go & add in their ideology & you've got the fixings for a huge firebomb.

To do this treatment as prevention thing.  There are going to be serious hurdles to be cleared: people's ignorance, their hatred, their greed & much more.  I keep hearing the what-we-should-do's, how about some how-to-do-it's.  I'm not hearing a lot of those.  This all can't keep falling on a handful of wealthier nations to foot the bill.  That just won't fly.  So, how's it going to get done?

Cya..

Don't Think So...

For years the approach to HIV prevention was education, promotion of condom use & screening.  Recently, I've been noticing a tread in articles that are promoting, "Treatment as prevention."  Hmmm...

The idea is that if an infected person is identified as + sooner, there will be less damage done to their body & a lower risk of transmission of the virus to their partners.  I'm not arguing that people who have undetectable levels of the virus are less likely to transmit HIV.  I'm saying that there are some points here that are iffy.

1. Why should a person get tested if not for the educational aspects of AIDS prevention?
2. Most of the data I've seen on not transmitting to their partners was based on heterosexual couples & at this time MSM are still a higher transmission group.

At the bottom line I think some group is getting more $.   Treatment as prevention is a lopsided argument.  Treatment without prevention will never end AIDS.  I don't think this should be an either/or argument.

Cya...