Bay Area Study Could Provide Key To Prevent New HIV Infections
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – Bay Area researchers have presented their latest findings in the fight against HIV and AIDS at a conference in Boston this week.
The study by the San Francisco Department of Public Health and University of California focused on markers that measure the level of HIV infection in San Francisco.
KCBS' Barbara Taylor Reports:
Dr. Moupali Das, the chief AIDS researcher with the San Francisco Department of Public Health said the findings reveal that aggressive testing and early treatment have a dramatic impact.
"The overall amount of virus in the city of San Francisco went down over time," she said. "And those reductions were significantly associated with fewer cases."
Das said for researchers, it was a great outcome.
"We've made some good progress towards our goals of trying to mirror the national HIV-AIDS strategy of reducing the infection," Das said. "Getting people into care and onto medications and improving their health outcome."
For years, the conventional wisdom has been to delay antiretroviral treatment until there is a compromised immune system.
But now, the health department's protocol is that the earlier the treatment, the better the results.
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