An eight year long study involving researchers from many countries in Europe tracked nearly 1000 pairs of male sexual partners from all over Europe, according to a paper published on May 2 in the lancet, a medical journal. The study found that in the case of one partner carrying HIV and receiving antiretroviral therapy (Art), there was no case of virus transmission between partners. Combined with the same results of earlier studies on heterosexual couples, the researchers believe that the real HIV infection rate can be reduced to zero through art treatment.
According to the guardian, Reuters, Agence France Presse and other media reports, a major study found that people with HIV after receiving a new antiretroviral therapy, the virus in the body can be completely suppressed, even if they have unsafe sex with their partner, they will not transmit the virus to each other.
The 8-year study, involving scientists from many countries in Europe, took nearly 1000 male sexual minority partners from all over Europe as the subjects, one of whom was HIV positive.
The researchers let these virus carriers all receive antiretroviral treatment, the results show that all the partners involved in the experiment, there is no case of HIV infection. Although in eight years, 115 people who were originally carrying the virus were infected with HIV, DNA testing confirmed that they were infected with the virus because they had a relationship with other people who were not involved in the experiment.
It is reported that the research results were published in the heavyweight medical journal the lancet on May 2. Alison Rodgers, co-author of the paper from University College London, said: 'this (Research) is very remarkable, which largely solves the problem of (AIDS). 'the researchers estimated that during the experiment, the new treatment successfully avoided 470 HIV infections between all the partners.
Despite the rapid development of AIDS drug research and development in recent years, AIDS is still one of the biggest health crises in the world. In 2017, there were 40 million HIV carriers in the world, and only about 21.7 million of them received antiretroviral therapy, accounting for only 59% of all patients.
Therefore, Professor Rogers said that this study provides exact evidence that the risk of HIV transmission to others can be 'zero' for HIV carriers receiving treatment. That is to say, this new treatment 'can prevent HIV transmission and help to end the HIV epidemic. However, the next effort is to let more HIV carriers test their own HIV, And get effective treatment '.
However, the study authors also pointed out that the new treatment still has some limitations, the most important of which is that the average age of the male sex minority without HIV is 38 years old, and the majority of HIV infection occurs in people under 25 years old.