2023-11-30 09:00:36
This year again, the 1is December will be a world day dedicated to the fight against AIDS. The 2023 edition will thus develop the theme of community leadership. Focus on the key messages that will be delivered as well as the latest scientific discoveries on the subject.
A global day on the theme of community leadership
At the end of 2022, 39 million people were living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) across the world. Hence the importance of devoting world AIDS day. Since its launch in 1988 by the World Health Organization (WHO), this world day aims to inform and raise awareness among the general public about the prevention and treatment of HIV infection.
On the occasion of the 2023 edition which will take place on 1is next December, the theme developed will be that of community leadership. In the words of the UNAIDS Executive Director: “To navigate the path to ending AIDS, the world must put communities in charge.” Communities refer to collectives of people living with HIV or at risk of infection. Responsible for creating a link between patients and public health services, these organizations provide reassurance, monitor the implementation of policies and promote innovation. According to the UN, these communities are at the heart of the progress made in the fight against AIDS.
It is for this reason that the UN calls for unlocking the potential of community leadership through:
- A more important role given to these organizations in the development of programs to combat AIDS.
- Greater financial support from these organizations.
- A more favorable regulatory environment to facilitate the role of these communities in the fight against AIDS.
The stakes are all the more important as we deplore unequal access to AIDS prevention and treatment across the world. The most precarious people remain over-represented among those affected.
AIDS: prevention and treatments in 2023
Across France, it is estimated that each year, nearly 5,000 French people discover their HIV status.. Certainly, the epidemic is declining, but too slowly according to Professor Pierre Delobel, head of the infectious and tropical diseases department at Toulouse University Hospital. According to him, achieving the global goal of ending AIDS by 2030 does not yet seem possible.
I have to say that risky practices persist, particularly among the youngest. In 2023, only 29% of young people aged 15 to 24 declared that they systematically use a condom during sexual intercourse compared to 48% in 2020. Many are also victims of misinformation with 18% of young people convinced that paracetamol prevents transmission. of HIV!
Regarding the available treatments, we are seeing a shift from triple therapy to dual therapy or intermittent triple therapy (4 days a week). Injectable treatments to be done every 8 weeks or every 6 months should also soon see the light of day. For Professor Delobel, personalizing treatments as much as possible remains imperative to adapt to each patient, their therapeutic history and possible resistance mutations.
Research in action against AIDS
In 2023, Inserm scientists have spared no effort in research to identify new strategies for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of AIDS. Several studies have also recently been published. One of them reports the unprecedented discovery of broad-spectrum neutralizing antibodies which would make it possible to control the virus in the long term after stopping treatment. This control of the virus has been observed in certain people carrying HIV-1 and having benefited from early antiretroviral treatment for several years.
During another scientific study, researchers discovered that the AIDS virus could use a mechanism specific to target cells to be able to spread there. This is how they demonstrated a new HIV strategy consisting of eliminating an essential molecule called BST2 responsible for preventing the virus from spreading.
New work has finally made it possible to learn more about the structure of the virus, suggesting the possibility of defining new therapeutic targets to attack HIV. We can bet that these new discoveries as well as the collective prevention efforts carried out on a global scale will allow considerable progress in the fight against this deadly disease.
Déborah L., Doctor in Pharmacy
Sources
1701372901
#World #AIDS #Day