Can HIV be cured? Ambitious research is in its infancy but there is hope

With the help of new scientific and technological developments, the HIV/Aids research community is increasingly turning to an ambitious goal: finding a cure for HIV/Aids.

If the world is to get close to meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goal of reducing HIV infections and Aids-related deaths by 90% between 2010 and 2030, a cure for HIV/Aids would be a game changer.

Much progress has been made during the 30 years in the fight against HIV/Aids. An HIV diagnosis is no longer the death sentence it was in the 1990s.

Antiretroviral treatment – which targets and suppresses the replication of the virus within the body – means people living with HIV are able to live long, fulfilling lives, without the risk of spreading the HIV virus to others.

However, even with antiretroviral treatments, living with HIV increases the risk of other serious health issues. All of this is ends up putting an economic burden on states, through increased healthcare spending and losses in workplace productivity.

South Africa is a good example of a country that would benefit from the discovery of a cure. South Africa’s been providing free antiretrovirals through the public healthcare system since 2004. It is the largest factor behind the 50% drop in the number of new HIV infections in South Africa from 2010 to 2021.

But the programme is expensive. In 2023, South Africa’s total budget for HIV...

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