December 7, 2015 – AIDS Day

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Anchor lead: There is good news to report in observance of World AIDS Day, Elizabeth Tracey reports

World AIDS Day gives people worldwide a time to reflect on how far we’ve come in our collective effort to contain HIV infection.  Joseph Cofrancesco, an HIV expert at Johns Hopkins, offers his thoughts on glad tidings relative to HIV containment.

Cofrancesco: We have wonderful meds that treat and control this disease.  When I started people died of AIDS, that’s what happened. Now they live normal and full lives provided they take their meds. And by taking their meds they really are very unlikely to spread it to anyone else.  The other great news is that we have the medicines and the capability to prevent people from getting HIV and ultimately ending the epidemic.  That includes taking meds when you’re infected and for those who are at risk but not yet infected taking a one-pill combination along with behavioral counseling to prevent getting infected.  :34

Cofrancesco says today, people talk seriously about being able to stop HIV in its tracks with existing medications and strategies, and that’s good news.  At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.