Does access to antiretroviral drugs lead to an increase in high-risk sexual behaviour? : commentary

Over the last few years the fight against the HIV epidemic appears to be yielding increasingly positive results: the number of people surviving and living with HIV has been on the rise and, overall, the numbers of new infections have been on a steady path of decline. This progress is largely attribu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:African journal of reproductive health 2014-09, Vol.18 (3), p.15-16
Main Author: De Coninck, Zaake
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antiretroviral
ARV
HIV
Sexual behaviour
Sub-Saharan Africa
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Summary:Over the last few years the fight against the HIV epidemic appears to be yielding increasingly positive results: the number of people surviving and living with HIV has been on the rise and, overall, the numbers of new infections have been on a steady path of decline. This progress is largely attributed to the increased accessibility to antiretroviral therapy (ART). Not only does ART improve the length and quality of life, the drugs are an important tool in suppressing HIV viral loads, thus reducing a) opportunistic infections such as Tuberculosis; b) transmission of HIV from a mother to her child; and c) transmission of HIV via sexual contact. These reasons have led to the emergence of a 'treatment as prevention' approach to tackling the epidemic, which urges for a scale-up in ART distribution worldwide. Initiatives such as that of the U.S. PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), have advanced this strategy by making antiretroviral drugs exponentially accessible in low-income public health systems.
ISSN:1118-4841
1118-4841