World Health Organization has released a new guideline that each diagnosed HIV positive patients should start to undergo antiretroviral treatment.
According to un.org, WHO believes that this guideline can prevent "21 million deaths and 28 million new infections by 2030."
Antiretroviral treatment is the process of taking drugs that don't kill or cure HIV but slows down the virus causing HIV disease.
WHO also removed all restrictions for patients who can receive the said treatment. "All populations and age groups are now eligible for treatment," they said.
Together with the new guideline, WHO released their findings that undergoing antiretroviral treatment on the early stages of HIV disease can enable the patient to live healthier and it reduces the chances of HIV being passed on to their partners. Even those patients who are in "substantial" risk of HIV should undergo the treatment as a preventive measure. The treatment will add to the agency's previous guideline of offering pre- exposure prophylaxis or PrEP for men who are having sex with other men to prevent contracting HIV.
WHO also recommended that PrEP should be offered to other population groups who are in high risk of HIV infection. The new guideline also emphasizes that countries need to be ready in giving antiretroviral treatment and those currently taking it should remain at their care.
According to nytimes.com, the antiretroviral treatment that will be offered regardless of population group is a considered as "critically important to moving us toward fast-track treatment and prevention goals" said Dr. Mark Dybul executive director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Studies have showed that using Truvada, a two- drug combination taken during a preventive antiretroviral treatment, can cause "near-total protection" against HIV infection.
Though WHO had released a new guideline, the number of people in each country is dependent on their national budget. Currently, only 15 million people are undergoing the treatment in oppose to the infected 37 million people worldwide.
Health advocates are now more hopeful in the current situation compared to the past generation since wealthy countries are now generously offer their help and available generic drugs have increased the number of people receiving treatment by a million every year.
