HIV is one of the few viruses that shook the world in the late 1990s and early 2000s. There were numerous deaths caused by this virus back then. However, the world has seen a significant improvement in the treatment of HIV. As a result, HIV is not as life-threatening as back in the day. Thus, this article will discuss what led HIV to become a manageable long-term sickness from a life-threatening condition. 

History of HIV Treatment 

In the early 1930s, humans saw the first case of HIV. The chimpanzees of West Africa came first in contact with HIV. Although there is no satisfactory evidence of how this virus was transmitted from Chimpanzees to humans, the entire world still believes that West Africa was the original place of HIV. After that, the virus spread from Africa to other parts of the world. However, human beings reported cases of AIDS in the 1980s. In its initial stages, HIV only gay men had HIV, due to which HIV was called Gay-Related Immune Deficiency (GRID). The patients of GRID reported unusually high rates of pneumonia and extreme levels of cancer. 

Later HIV was rapidly discovered among heterosexual humans. Due to this, Gay-Related Immune Deficiency (GRID) was later renamed Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). The first case of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) was discovered in 1982. It took some time to realize that HIV was transferred sexually. Similarly, other methods of HIV transmission are sharing needles, blood transfusion, etc. HIV was first seen in gay men, later moved to straight men, and finally, HIV was seen in women. The most alarming nature of HIV was that infected mothers could transfer HIV to their unborn children. HIV could be transmitted from mother to child through breastfeeding as well. Very soon, HIV became a very dangerous disease that claimed many lives worldwide. HIV was the number one life-threatening disease in Africa. 

The spread of HIV was so rapid and frightening that the United Nations even adopted a specific goal to control HIV in Millennium Development Goals. In 1985, the first conference on HIV was held in Georgia, USA. In the late 1980s, the AZT drug was approved, the first antiretroviral drug approved for HIV treatment. The world’s countries also came together and decided to celebrate December 1st as World AIDS Day. First World AIDS Day was celebrated on December 1st, 1988; after that, every year World AIDS Day is celebrated on December 1st to raise awareness about AIDS. The red ribbon symbol for HIV AIDS was also defined. 

The entire world was making efforts to make discoveries for HIV treatment. Various international agencies made untiring efforts to ensure that HIV treatment was affordable for developing and least-developed countries. Countries came together and made efforts to support other countries with rapid HIV cases. The invention of the first HIV testing kit was In the mid-2000s. The testing kit was called a quick HIV antibody test kit. This test kit allowed people to get the result of HIV within two minutes. 

Scientists discovered the first HIV vaccine in the 2010s. In the same decade, doctors were able to treat the first HIV case. The patient went through four years of treatment. At the end of four years, the patient was HIV-free. The patient is famously known as the “Berlin Patient.” You can find many documentaries related to him online. The Berlin patient case might be the first successful case of HIV treatment in the history of humankind. After this, scientists could also discover many other drugs for HIV treatment. Thus, now, there are numerous drugs and treatment methods available for anyone who is looking for HIV treatment. 

Current Trends of HIV Treatment 

In earlier years, HIV patients had to take multiple pills throughout the day. The patients also had to go through a strict diet and take such pills numerous times daily. The virus wasn’t fully under control even after going through such a strict diet and lifestyle. The patients also had to endure all the side effects of the medications. Many people could not go through all these strict lifestyle requirements and the terrible side effects of the drug, due to which they lost their battle with HIV. 

The researchers discovered that the virus would develop resistance to single drugs, which was not enough to target the virus in just one stage. The virus needed new and improved ways in all its stages. As a result, the researchers developed a combination of drugs in a single tablet that targeted the virus in all the steps. Similarly, compared to the old days, HIV treatment has experienced a breakthrough. Nowadays, there are many effective treatments and therapies for HIV. 

Some of the latest trends in HIV treatment include the discovery of a new PrEp method. This PrEp method has already undergone a safety study for anal sex. Researchers have discovered a vaccine named Lenacapavir which might offer twice-yearly HIV treatment options to HIV-infected people. With the help of the Lenacapavir vaccine, patients can stop their existing antiretroviral therapy for a certain duration. Scientists have also discovered few implants which can even protect HIV patients from vaginal sex. An implant named Islatravir was inserted under the skin of monkeys. This implant protected the female monkeys against vaginal infection. 

All these latest discoveries for HIV treatment have managed to change the image of HIV from a dreadful, life-claiming disease to a controllable condition. The innovation continues in the field of HIV treatment. Hopefully, one day scientists will be able to eradicate HIV by discovering more new and innovative ways for HIV treatment. 

Challenges of HIV Treatment 

The HIV treatment field might have seen a lot of highs in the past few decades. But despite everything, HIV treatment still faces numerous challenges. One of the most difficult challenges to overcome for HIV treatment is stigmatizing the disease. Due to the unnecessary stigmatization, HIV patients are socially isolated. As a result, social isolation is still one of the leading causes of death among HIV patients. The existing stigma shows that all those tireless awareness campaigns to remove the stigma of HIV went in vain. 

The side effects of antiretroviral drugs with food and beverages still exist. Scientists have been unable to eradicate the side effects of the antiretroviral drugs. As a result, the HIV treatment remains strenuous. Similarly, there have not been any significant innovations in the field of machine learning in the field of HIV treatment. 

Conclusion

Scientists and researchers have made significant improvements in the field of HIV treatment. They have transformed one of the most fatal diseases into manageable diseases within a few decades. More improvements are coming, but scientists can still not fully eradicate AIDS by discovering new and innovative HIV treatments. Similarly, there are still some stigmas associated with AIDS and HIV. 

Thus, to impact lives further, we should remove the stigma related to AIDS and HIV. Scientists should continue researching new HIV treatment methods using the latest technologies.