WHO: Millions more should receive HIV treatment

World Health Organization
(Image credit: FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/GettyImages)

The number of people who should get treatment for HIV increased by nine million Wednesday, according to the World Health Organization's new guidelines. In addition to suggesting that everyone infected with HIV immediately be put on antiretroviral triple therapy, the WHO also suggested that anyone at risk of contracting the virus be put on protective doses of the drugs, effectively adding "untold millions" — namely women and girls in Africa — to that count.

How much these millions of additional HIV treatments will cost and who will pay for them is a question that remains unanswered. Experts are hailing the new guidelines as "critically important" and "transformative to epidemic control."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us