NIH Statement on World AIDS Day 2011
Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Jack Whitescarver, Ph.D., Director, NIH Office of AIDS Research
Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., Director, NIH
“This year, we commemorate World AIDS Day during the 30th year since the first reported cases of AIDS, a milestone that has led many to reflect on how far we have come since those dark days when HIV infection was almost always fatal. Remarkably, three decades of scientific progress in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment have brought us to a time when we can begin to imagine an AIDS-free generation…
“…Yet we know that to end the HIV/AIDS pandemic, we must not only treat HIV infection but also prevent new infections from occurring. No single HIV prevention modality will suffice. Rather, a combination of scientifically proven HIV prevention tools will be required to end the pandemic. In collaboration with our sister agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services, other governments, nongovernmental organizations and scientists around the world, the National Institutes of Health is leading the effort to develop the scientific basis for an HIV prevention toolkit robust enough to support the goal of realizing a generation without AIDS.
As a result of NIH-sponsored research, we have known for some time that the use of antiretroviral drugs during pregnancy can prevent HIV transmission from mother to child. More recently, medically supervised adult male circumcision was shown to decrease by more than half the risk of female-to-male sexual transmission in communities where men are not circumcised. We also have long known that correct and consistent condom use can prevent sexual transmission of the virus.
“But an extraordinary burst of new scientific advances in HIV prevention during the past 18 months is fueling additional prevention research that could accelerate the pace toward our ultimate goal of ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic. For example, several clinical trials have shown that taking an antiretroviral pill as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) once a day could reduce the risk of HIV infection in certain HIV-negative populations. In addition, scientists are beginning to uncover the mechanisms behind the modest first success of a vaccine regimen against HIV infection.
“Moreover, a carefully controlled clinical trial conducted this past summer by the NIH HIV Prevention Trials Network demonstrated that treating an HIV-infected person with antiretroviral drugs can dramatically reduce the likelihood that the individual will transmit HIV to his or her heterosexual partner. This study provided further evidence that HIV treatment is prevention and can be a critical component of the HIV prevention toolkit…”
“…With great anticipation, we plan to gather with our colleagues from around the world next summer at the XIX International AIDS Conference in Washington, D.C., to determine the next steps in research that will help translate the recent advances in HIV prevention into action toward ending the pandemic. NIH will eagerly participate in this international dialogue and will continue to support and promote the discovery, development and scientific validation of HIV treatment and prevention tools until we achieve a world without HIV/AIDS….”
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