IT has been nearly 30 years since the “Aids: Don’t Die of Ignorance” campaign was launched amid concerns the HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus, would lead to deaths on a massive scale. Thanks to awareness raising and medical advances, HIV is no longer the death sentence it once was. To add to the battle against the virus, there is a drug which can even help to prevent HIV, with studies suggesting it could reduce the risk of contracting the virus by nearly 90 per cent.
It all seems a long way from the shocking tombstone adverts of the 1980s. Yet some of the debate around the introduction of Truvada, which is in the process of being licensed as a pre-exposure prophylaxis medication (PrEP), has been characterised by the negative attitudes and stigma towards the gay community which were prevalent at that time. Some critics have claimed it is a “lifestyle drug” which will encourage promiscuity. In an ideal world everyone would practice safe sex: but in an ideal world everyone would also quit smoking, stay out of the sun, eat healthily and only ever drink sensibly. Indeed, if NHS treatment was based on following health promotion advice, much of the population would likely never qualify.
There has been much progress in tackling HIV, but the number of new cases in Scotland has remained stubbornly the same for the past 10 years, with around 350-370 every year. Experts caution that Truvada on its own should not be seen as a “magic pill” solution to HIV, but as a valuable addition to the range of measures to tackle the virus. While funding is always a thorny issue for the hugely pressured NHS, the case for making this drug available as a preventative treatment must be considered as speedily as possible in the hope the battle against HIV can take another significant step forwards.
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