Treatment Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in HIV-Infected Adults and Adolescents: An Update

In the U.S. and Canada, a person diagnosed with HIV aged 20 years who adheres to a HIV ART regimen has a life expectancy of 71 years. The same person not taking ART has a dramatically shortened life expectancy of 32 years. ⁴² The successful implementation of ART can help those living with HIV to enjoy an average life expectancy no different from that of persons without HIV infection.

The Future of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic

In 2014, the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/ AIDS estimated that 35 million people were living with HIV/AIDS and that 13 million were receiving ART globally. Three of 5 people with HIV infection, about 22 million, did not have access to ART. Less than one quarter of HIV-infected children are on ART. ⁴³ Changing the course of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the U.S. and worldwide is within reach, and the new HSS and WHO guidelines provide an evidence-based framework to alter this course. Significantly expanding screening for HIV and ensuring treatment access
for all persons diagnosed with HIV as well as appropriate provision of pre-exposure prophylaxis would irrevocably alter the lives of the millions of people living with HIV/AIDS and others in their communities. It remains to be seen whether the goal to eliminate AIDS by 2020, set in both the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and the UN global commitment will be achieved.

Click here to read the digital edition.