The announcement was made by researchers, this Monday, in a scientific conference about the virus International AIDS Society which takes place in the Australian city of Brisbane. In which it was specified that: “new HIV infections among gay men in inner Sydney fell by 88% between 2010 and 2022“.
UNAIDS has the objective of end aids as a global health threat to 2030. This includes reduce the number of new cases by 90%, compared to 2010.
Andrew Grulichepidemiologist of the University of New South Wales He was the one who presented the investigation and told AFP that they are “very close to reaching the 2030 target”.
Only 11 new cases were recorded in the Sydney outback last year. “An extraordinarily small number of infections for what was the heart of Australia’s HIV epidemic“said the specialist.
According to Grulich, several areas of the United Kingdom and Western Europe They were too witnesses of one rapid drop in new cases. But, “I don’t think any place has come close to 90 percent“, he added.
HIV: the need for a cure
The doctor warned that the statistics current do not mean that HIV is almost eradicated in Sydney, a city of more than 5.2 million inhabitants. “It can only be eliminated if we have a vaccine and a cure.“, said.
This refers to the fact that the drop in new cases of was much less abrupt in other parts of the city. According to the researchers, in the outer suburbs of the cityFor example, there is a decrease of only 31% in the number of new cases.
This disparity was due to a rate much higher HIV testing and use of previous condoms to exposure (PrEP), which reduces the risk of transmitting the virus during sexual intercourse, In the city centerGrülich said.
The specialist added that another reason for Progress was that: about 95% of people living with HIV in Australia now receive antiretroviral treatmentthat suppresses the level of the virus in the bloodand transmission is almost non-existent.
Source: Ambito
