World Aids Month is a time to mark the progress made in the fight against HIV/Aids, showing that being HIV positive need not be all negative.
From apps that send memos to take medication and affordable antiretroviral therapies (ARTs) with fewer side-effects to rapid testing machines – World Aids Month in December is the time to notice innovations allowing HIV/Aids positive individuals to live a long and fulfilling life.
While the prevalence of HIV among people in SA has risen to 13.1% – that’s 7.52 million people – in 2018, South Africa is also home to the globe’s biggest treatment programme, putting it at the forefront of global advancements.
And that is good news.
With 36.7 million HIV/Aids positive individuals globally in 2016 and close to 1 in every 25 adults being HIV positive in sub-Saharan Africa, the prevalence of the disease has given rise to a worldwide race to cure it.
Dr Marion Morkel, chief medical officer at Sanlam, says that we’re closer to a cure than ever before with innovations like an HIV vaccine and Crispr/Cas9 gene editing that allows scientists to successfully “clip” away the virus from cell DNA in mice. A world without Aids may soon be in sight, but for now, there are plenty of ways to manage the illness.
“Healthy mind, healthy body. The key to remaining healthy and in control of any chronic illness is a committed and positive outlook.
“In a more optimistic environment with support rather than stigmas, access to treatment and plenty of technological tools to foster greater control over the condition, people can live a long, rich life,” Morkel says.
Morkel outlines some of the pivotal advancements helping people with HIV lead normal lives:
1. Top treatments: Treatment is the biggest reason for improved longevity and quality of life.
2. There are three main ways treatments have improved:
- They’re starting earlier: ARTs are now administered as soon as there’s an HIV positive diagnosis. Earlier treatment means the body’s immune system stays healthier and at normal levels for longer, and the risk of passing the virus on to others is dramatically reduced.
- They’re easier to use and safer, with reduced side-effects. Now it’s just one tablet once a day, with all the active ingredients necessary to target different areas of the virus’s life cycle.
- They’re more affordable: for example, the deal between Unaids and SA (announced in September 2017) capped prices for one of the best HIV pills on the market at $75 p/p, per year (R1098.69 at the time of writing). Anticipated to catalyse competitive prices, this pill is also more effective, with fewer side effects.
In addition, market competition keeps prices in check. Government and the World Health Organisation’s commitments also aim to alleviate the financial constraints that could potentially prevent treatment.
3. Enabling apps: As well as reminding people to take medications (examples include Care4Today and iStayHealthy), apps allow medical staff to keep track of patients who live in remote areas and can’t access a clinic easily.
Additionally, they can be linked to rapid testing devices to carefully monitor the disease over the long term.
These devices work in a similar fashion to glucometers. Soon they’ll probably assist with everything, from connecting people to support communities and care providers to suggesting lifestyle changes.
4. More educated mindsets: There’s far less shaming and negativity associated with Aids, predominantly due to education, a global effort to control the epidemic, legislation that protects the rights of people living with HIV, and support from religious, cultural and human rights groups.
Combating the harmful stigma means less shame and more chance of peer acceptance and support.
5. Insuring security: While most HIV positive patients would find it difficult to get cover a decade ago, today it’s all changed and almost all insurers offer tailored policies.
Doctors and actuaries in the insurance industry work closely with HIV clinicians to identify trends and outcomes in patients’ financial needs, along with the outcome of good medical management and then calculate the risks in the same way as with any other chronic disorder.
This means HIV infection has the same loading cover – the amount built into an insurance cost according to anticipated losses by the insurer – as any other systemic, well controlled chronic disease.