Current Opinion in HIV and AIDS

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has been ground-breaking in reducing the severity of HIV from a fatal illness to a tolerable chronic condition, but it does not offer a cure. Patients must commit to taking drugs for the rest of their lives and deal with problems such inadequate viral suppression, social stigma, drug resistance, adverse drug reactions, and unaffordable expenditures. Since finding a cure for HIV is a highly desirable aim for patients.

Additionally, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), an HIV medication used to prevent HIV, is an option for those who are HIV-negative and at risk for HIV infection. But regrettably, in 2020, there were an anticipated 30,403 new HIV infections in the United States and 1.5 million new HIV infections worldwide. We require a potent arsenal of HIV preventive strategies that are broadly available to everybody who could benefit from them if we are to control and ultimately eradicate HIV globally.

The long-term objective is to create a vaccine that can prevent HIV infection in all populations. However, even if a vaccine only offers partial protection to those who receive it or even if it only offers partial protection by lowering the risk of infection, it could still have a significant impact on transmission rates and aid in the control of the pandemic, especially for populations with a high risk of contracting HIV. A partially successful vaccination might lower the number of HIV infections, which would lower the number of carriers of the virus. We can put an end to the epidemic by drastically lowering the number of new infections.