AIDS Epidemic In Africa Could Be Eradicated In 40 Years By Mass Screening

Bringing in mass screening of billions of people in Africa, and across the globe, could lead to eradicate HIV/AIDS within 40 years according to Dr Brian Williams of the South African Centre for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis.

Talking at the annual American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting, Williams said there was a need to shift towards stopping tranmission, stating:

“The problem is we’re now using HIV drugs to save people’s lives; we’re not using them to stop transmission.

“Can we use anti-retroviral drugs not only to keep people alive but also to stop transmission? I believe we can. I believe we can effectively stop transmission within five years.”

Saying he believed that transmission of the disease could be halted by 2015, Williams predicted that could mean the AIDS epidemic could be over by 2050 as those still with the HIV virus would have died.

The problem with the situation at the moment, according to Williams, is that the anti-retro viral drugs used at the moment – which act to make the patient less infectious by lowering the viral load of the disease in the blood-  are given out at a point when the patient is likely to have infected others around them in the time between transmission and gaining help. He suggests, and says other scientists support the ideas, that a better tactic would be to have everyone tested once a year then treated if they are found to be carrying the virus.

Admitting a mass screening programme would be expensive, Williams did however act to justify this by saying that it would save money not only on the continuing treatment needed if the epidemic is not bought to an end, but also stop the loss to society that occurs by the half a million young adults that die each year from, the disease.

Whilst gay men and those from sub-Saharan Africia are typically seen to be at most risk, the numbers being diagnosed amongst heterosexuals has been steadily rising.

Currently setting  up a key trial in his home country at Hlabisa, Williams study is also being replicated in US, Canada and sub-Saharan Africa to test the viability of the theory.