An AIDS-free generation is closer than we might think

Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the US-based National Institutes of Health Dr Anthony Fauci has said that thirteen countries receiving U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) funds have reached a key “tipping point” at which the annual increase in new patients on antiretroviral treatment exceeds the annual number of new HIV infections. In his article sent by email to the Guardian on Sunday, Dr. Fauci said the curve of new HIV infections in many countries is trending downward adding that an AIDS-free generation would mean that virtually no child is born with HIV; that, as those children grow up, their risk of becoming infected is far lower than it is today; and that those who become infected can access treatment to help prevent them from developing AIDS and from passing the virus on to others. “Mathematical models suggest that, by implementing existing HIV/Aids treatment...