Posted: December 4, 2015 Contributor: PRJKT RUBY
2015 Sees Lowest HIV Infection Rate in 15 Years
As we say goodbye to 2015 and ring in the new year, most of us have many things to be thankful for. Here’s just one more thing to add to your list – this year saw the lowest rate of HIV infection worldwide in 15 years.
This information was released as part of a new report from UNAIDS. This month as World AIDS Day came around we had some good news to celebrate. In 2014 – 2015, 2 million new HIV infections were reported worldwide. This is the lowest we have seen numbers since 2000! In addition to this, the death rate of those suffering from AIDS has also come down from 2 million in the early years of the decade to 1.2 million this year.
The medication, Truvada, is certainly helping the cause. It’s a once-a day-pill that is almost as effective as condoms in preventing HIV. For those in high-risk relationships, this is a great victory. It’s known as PrEP and when taken as prescribed it can actually prevent nearly 90% of HIV infections occurring from sexual activity.
While it is currently being advocated as an addition to condoms, it also lowers the risk when exposed without one. Of course, no one is advocating that this medication be relied on instead of condoms.
Another exciting breakthrough in medical science has been the emergence of a new early exposure HIV medication. Much like ella and Plan B work to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex, this new drug helps reduce the chance of infection to those exposed to the virus.
This new medication is known as PEP and can be taken as soon as possible (within a 72 hour window) after sex. It is taken for 28 days and greatly reduces the chance that a person will contract HIV.