Article by UniCamillus Professor Daniele Armenia
World AIDS Day has been a very important event since 1988 to remember what this very serious disease is, indeed, in the last year it has killed about 700,000 people, including 100,000 children. Despite the excellent advances in antiretroviral therapy, there are still people around the world who cannot be followed and treated properly. In addition, due to the particular characteristics of the virus, the treatment of the infection and an effective vaccine are still distant goals.
In this context, HIV infection must still be remembered today because it insinuates itself among those who do not know the risk of contracting the virus. Although there has been a decline in infections in recent years in Italy, about 60% of people diagnosed in 2019 were in an advanced stage of the disease, therefore it is estimated that many people still live with HIV without knowing it.
Today, infected individuals on effective antiretroviral treatment do not transmit the virus, they are also in excellent health, can have children and live the same way as non-infected people. However, this must not lower the perception of risk: HIV is a dangerous virus and must be avoided. Fortunately, this is quite easy nowadays though information, the use of a condom and knowing that there is pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis.
Daniele Armenia is Researcher and Professor of Virology, Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology in the following UniCamillus Degree Courses: Medicine and Surgery, Physiotherapy, Nursing, Obstetrics, Biomedical Laboratory Techniques, Medical Radiology Techniques, Imaging and Radiotherapy.
He has carried out numerous research activities on AIDS, focusing, in particular, on the impact of antiretroviral treatments on HIV infection, the mechanisms of resistance to HIV drugs, fitness and viral evolution of HIV and hepatitis viruses.