September 1st 2015
A commentary of Stefano Vella, Istituto Superiore di Sanità and Vice-Chair for Italy of the Friends of the Global Fund Europe Board, was published in the last issue of the Lancet HIV :
« Addressing barriers to the end of AIDS by 2030 »
The introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) in 1996 was the first milestone in the fight against HIV/AIDS, and its impact has been huge. Today, we have solid proof that early ART initiation provides benefit for the health of the HIV infected people and reduces the risk of HIV transmission. The concept of treatment as prevention is gaining ground, with decreasing HIV incidences proportional to ART coverage. However, with HIV testing lagging behind, prevention cannot rely solely on expanded access to ART: combination prevention shall necessarily include both biomedical and non-biomedical interventions.