The British government has reported a
massive decline in the number of people diagnosed with HIV since
2012.
According to figures released by Public
Health England, new infections among gay and bisexual men have fallen
by 71 percent.
The decline has been attributed to a
rise in the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), more commonly
known in the United States as Truvada, the only such drug currently
on the market.
PrEP has been shown to prevent
transmission of the virus when taken daily.
The UK is on track to achieve its goal
of ending HIV transmissions by 2030, said Health Secretary Matt
Hancock.
“I feel very strongly that we must
end HIV transmission,” Hancock
told the BBC.
“HIV has brought untold hurt and
suffering to so many, so it is encouraging to see transmissions
continue to fall across the UK,” he added.
Advocacy groups called on the
government to make PrEP “freely available on the NHS without
delay.”
In the United States, the
Trump administration last month announced an initiative to offer PrEP
for free to the uninsured and California
is making the drug available without a prescription.