Open AccessTwenty-Five Years of HIV: Lessons for Low Prevalence Scenarios
Author(s) -
Sharif Sawires,
Nina R. Birnbaum,
Laith J. AbuRaddad,
Greg Szekeres,
Jacob A. Gayle
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.162
H-Index - 157
eISSN - 1944-7884
pISSN - 1525-4135
DOI - 10.1097/qai.0b013e3181aafd01
Subject(s) - human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , quarter (canadian coin) , environmental health , relevance (law) , medicine , demography , geography , virology , political science , sociology , archaeology , law
During the initial quarter century since the discovery of HIV, international response has focused on high prevalence scenarios and concentrated epidemics. Until recently, the theoretical underpinnings of HIV prevention were largely based on these responses-the assumption that inadequate responses to concentrated epidemics within low prevalence populations could rapidly lead to generalized epidemics. The limits of these assumptions for HIV prevention in low prevalence scenarios have become evident. While examples of rapid HIV diffusion in once low prevalence scenarios exist, emergence of generalized epidemics are less likely for much of the world. This paper reviews several key issues and advances in biomedical and behavioural HIV prevention to date and highlights relevance to low prevalence scenarios.