Behavioral and Biomedical Combination Strategies for HIV Prevention
- 1The Desmond Tutu HIV Centre, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7925, South Africa
- 2Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7925, South Africa
- 3Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21205
- 4Section on International HIV/STD Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
- Correspondence: Linda-gail.bekker{at}hiv-research.org.za
Abstract
Around 2.5 million people become infected with HIV each year. This extraordinary toll on human life and public health worldwide will only be reversed with effective prevention. What’s more, in the next few years, it is likely at least, that no single prevention strategy will be sufficient to contain the spread of the disease. There is a need for combination prevention as there is for combination treatment, including biomedical, behavioral, and structural interventions. Expanded HIV prevention must be grounded in a systematic analysis of the epidemic’s dynamics in local contexts. Although 85% of HIV is transmitted sexually, effective combinations of prevention have been shown for people who inject drugs. Combination prevention should be based on scientifically derived evidence, with input and engagement from local communities that fosters the successful integration of care and treatment.
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