The spread of the HIV virus, the cause of AIDS, has not only been halted but is in decline, and the World Health Organization now wants to completely eradicate the disease.
Three years ago, the UN program on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) set itself an ambitious goal: to eradicate the AIDS epidemic by 2030.
The goal of the program is to ensure that no more children are born infected with HIV, and that those who are already suffering from the disease are treated with drugs that give them the best chance for a quality life.
AIDS has gone from being a deadly disease to a disease that can be controlled.
According to New Scientist, thanks to antiretroviral drugs, about 21 million people worldwide are currently living with HIV/AIDS.
But medicines are constantly being improved, they are more effective and more available, so the goal of the UNAIDS program is not so unachievable.
Until recently, HIV spread rapidly because it is easily transmitted through contact with infected blood or other body fluids. The most common ways of infection are through sexual intercourse or sharing needles.
Bruce Rickman, who was diagnosed with AIDS in 2003, said that therapy with new drugs changed his life.
"After I was infected with the HIV virus, I isolated myself because I felt fear and shame. Because I was afraid of transmitting HIV, I no longer wanted to have a partner," said Rickman, whose life changed in 2012, when his doctor informed him that antiretroviral drugs were reducing the amount of HIV virus in his blood to undetectable levels.
After that, Rickman stopped hiding and created a campaign during which he shared his experience about the impact of antiretroviral drugs on the quality of life.
He called the campaign N=N (Unnoticeable=Non-transmissible), and its goal was to change the view of sick people on life with that disease and to remove the stigma from sick people, writes Ekspres.
Two years ago, in order to spread his message, Rickman connected with 570 associations from 71 countries.
"In most of those countries, people are afraid of HIV and people with HIV, and now we're trying to change that," he said.
It is estimated that thanks to Rickman's and similar campaigns, the number of new cases has significantly decreased.
In 2016, the number of people infected with HIV fell by 40 percent compared to 2015, New Scientist writes, B92 reports.
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