[Press Kit, International Conference on AIDS (16th: 2006: Toronto, Canada)]

preventing them from establishing an infection. An HIV microbicide would provide a usercontrolled method of prevention. Scientists are currently exploring microbicide development
as a potential HIV prevention method.
Condom use is one of the least expensive, most cost-effective methods for preventing HIV
transmission. Consistent, correct use of condoms significantly reduces the risk of
transmission of HIV and other STDs.
Vaccines to prevent HIV infection or improve the ability of the immune system to defend
itself are being tested by researchers. Global investment in HIV vaccine research in 2004
was US$ 682 million, but it is likely that a successful vaccine is still a number of years
away.6 It is estimated at least US $1.2 billion per year is needed to mount an accelerated
search for a safe and effective vaccine.7
Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV can be reduced significantly through the use
of antiretrovirals by HIV-positive women during pregnancy and delivery, and by their infants
following birth. These regimens reduce the risk of MTCT by decreasing viral replication in
the mother and through prophylaxis of the infant during and after exposure to the virus.8
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) involves the short-term use of antiretrovirals to prevent
infection in people who have recently been exposed (such as health care workers through
needlestick injuries or women who have been raped). PEP significantly reduces the risk of
infection, but is not 100% effective.
Socio-behavioural interventions are educational programs designed to encourage
individuals to change their behaviour to reduce their exposure to HIV and risk for infection.
Such efforts include encouraging proper and consistent condom use, a reduction in the
number of sexual partners, abstinence and the delaying of sexual initiation among youth.
Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PREP): Pre-exposure prophylaxis involves taking
antiretrovirals before engaging in behaviour(s) that place one at risk for HIV infection (such
as unprotected sex or sharing needles) in order to reduce or prevent the possibility of HIV
infection. The effectiveness of PREP as an HIV prevention tool in humans is as yet
unproven; large-scale clinical trials are underway in several countries to determine the
safety and efficacy of PREP.
Treatments9
ARV stands for antiretroviral and refers to a type of drug that works by interfering with the
replication of HIV. The four classes of antiretroviral drugs currently available are:
~ Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs), which block the replication of HIV
by interfering with a protein called Reverse Transcriptase (RT), essential for the
reproduction of HIV;
~ Non-nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NNRTIs), which also block RT, but in a
slightly different way than NRTIs;
~ Protease Inhibitors (PIs), which block the function of a protein called protease, essential
for HIV reproduction; and
~ Entry Inhibitors, which block HIV from entering target cells. There is currently just one
licensed entry inhibitor available - a fusion inhibitor - though other types are currently
being tested.
Combination Therapy is a course of antiretroviral treatment that involves two or more
ARVs in combination.
HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Treatment) is a modality of antiretroviral treatment
that involves the use of three or more ARVs. HAART interferes with the virus' ability to
replicate, which allows the body's immune system to maintain or recover its ability to
produce the white blood cells necessary to respond to opportunistic infections.

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