Posts
The head of the International AIDS Society (IAS) is calling for more investment into HIV research, as governments globally cannot put patients on treatment fast enough to keep pace with new infections. “At the moment, for every one person beginning treatment in badly affected countries in Africa, two people get infected with HIV in that time. So treatment with antiretroviral drugs isn’t the only solution in the long run,” said Bernard Audoin, who runs the organization of 18,000 health professionals and activists.
“It could take 25 years before we find a cure - and the hardest part will be convincing donor governments and other funding organizations to put money into research,” Audoin said. “But if we don’t invest in the science, the epidemic will go faster than our work on it, and the financial situation will make it more difficult to put people on treatment.”
IAS is working toward the goal of a cure for HIV/AIDS. It has convened a panel of international experts to develop an achievable strategy, co-chaired by professor and 2008 Nobel Prize winner Francoise Barre-Sinoussi, who co-discovered HIV. A draft report is expected by the end of 2011.
“It is the right moment, from the scientific and financial point of view, to invest more time and money in researching a cure,” said Audoin.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
