HIV Vaccine Awareness Day (HVAD) is observed annually on May 18, offering an opportunity to recognise and thank the many volunteers, community members, health professionals, and scientists who work together to find a safe and effective preventive HIV vaccine.
IT is a day to educate communities across the nation about the importance of preventive HIV vaccine research.
Sexual health charity, Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) have renewed their call for access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). They say a vaccine for HIV could still be a long way off, but that existing prevention methods mean the UK already has the potential to reduce onward transmission of HIV, providing there is enough will to do so.
Latest figures show around one in four (24 per cent) of people with HIV remain undiagnosed and are unaware of their infection.
Dr Rosemary Gillespie, Chief Executive at Terrence Higgins Trust, said: “Despite great progress made in research and treatment over the past two decades, we still do not have a vaccine for HIV. That day will no doubt come, but in the meantime, greater emphasis on preventive measures such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), compulsory inclusive sex and relationships education (SRE) and extending condom use should be the immediate focus of our efforts.
“By adopting these measures, we have the opportunity to substantially reduce levels of onward transmission of HIV in the UK.”
PrEP is taken before sex to reduce the risk of getting HIV. It is currently not available in the UK but Terrence Higgins Trust is advocating for PrEP to be made available on the NHS because it has the potential to prevent new infections among some of those at greatest risk of acquiring HIV.
The results of the PROUD study published in February, a UK-based clinical trial looking at the effectiveness of PrEP for gay men who are at high risk of acquiring HIV, showed the drug reduced the risk of getting HIV by 86%. The reduction in HIV infections as a result of PrEP was much greater than the researchers expected when they were planning the trial.
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