New publications
Scientists in Australia know how to stop the AIDS epidemic
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
At an Australian research university, a group of scientists said that AIDS is no longer something to be afraid of – the disease can now be successfully treated. According to scientists, AIDS used to cause an average of 1,000 deaths in Australia each year, but the situation has changed dramatically recently, thanks to the work of local doctors. One of the professors at the Kirby Institute, Andrew Grulich, noted that the country does not even monitor the spread and progression of the disease, since a person diagnosed with HIV simply receives the necessary treatment and forgets about the disease forever.
But it is worth noting that despite successful treatment of this deadly disease, new cases of HIV infection continue to occur, with more than 1,000 new cases of infection registered in Australia each year.
According to the head of the institute, many HIV patients do not know their status for many years, and the disease is most often diagnosed at the AIDS stage or when the immune system is already significantly weakened. This is the problem that specialists at the Kirby Institute have been solving.
AIDS is the final stage of the human immunodeficiency virus, during the development of the disease, the human immune system weakens significantly and a common cold can be fatal for a person. However, in HIV carriers, the disease does not progress to the final stage. In the late 90s, an antiretroviral drug was invented, which played a major role in reducing the percentage of citizens whose HIV progressed to the final, fatal stage.
According to doctors, the main problem of modern society is that the immunodeficiency virus is detected too late and at this stage it is necessary to make maximum efforts to solve this problem.
To rid humanity of HIV, scientists intend to develop a unique method of treatment – simply cutting out the genes of the immunodeficiency virus from human DNA, thereby completely removing the disease from the body.
Over the past few decades, an HIV epidemic has been observed on earth, with more and more new cases being registered every year, and if earlier the disease was detected among people from risk groups (prostitutes, homosexuals, etc.), today HIV is detected in people from 30 to 50 years old, with an average or high income, from quite decent families.
The route of infection has also changed: several years ago, the disease was transmitted primarily through sexual intercourse, but today it is transmitted through injectable drugs.
Experts emphasize that HIV is not fatal - the virus simply destroys a person's immunity, resulting in AIDS and the body being left defenseless against other infections, which lead to death. According to doctors, HIV is incurable, but one can live with this disease for many years, provided that special medications are constantly taken to help keep the virus "under control."
HIV does not manifest itself with any symptoms, many people do not even realize that they are sick, so they can pose a danger to the health of others. The main way of transmitting the disease is through the use of injection drugs (especially if you use the same syringe) and sexually (unprotected sex).
[