The number of human deaths from HIV is dwindling, while the price tags of HIV-management are increasing.
This was part of the discussion of Dr. Allen Williams, the speaker at the National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. He says that HIV drugs cost more than $10,000 just for one month. This is due to the costly research performed by pharmaceutical companies in developing these HIV drugs.
So basically, he was saying that those who die were those who were no longer able to afford the HIV treatment. The cause of death would not primarily be the HIV/AIDS, but because of the opportunistic infections which weaken an infected person’s immune system making them vulnerable to other diseases such as cancer or pneumonia.
Therefore, it was only logical to stress that prevention through safer-sex practices and use of condoms were significantly cheaper, since HIV’s main source of transmission was through unsafe sex and through the bloodstream.
Myths such as skin- to-skin contact and through mosquito bites were dismissed.
Dr. Williams has also stated that one should find a good and trustworthy doctor who one should be comfortable with. Someone who is preferably not prejudiced since HIV/AIDS is a sensitive topic in any community.
It was also discussed that perhaps in the future, scientists should be able to develop vaccines for HIV.