Strategy for an AIDS-Free Generation

Recent scientific advances have proven that existing HIV prevention tools can dramatically drive down the rate of new infections and virtually eliminate them in babies and children.
Progress has been particularly rapid in the last two years, due to recent scientific breakthroughs as well as accelerated targets set by President Obama, who again championed the achievable goal of an AIDS-free generation in his 2013 State of the Union address. The Administration’s Blueprint  for creating an AIDS-free generation outlines specific steps that PEPFAR is taking to uphold America’s commitment to fight this deadly disease.
As a principal implementing agency for the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), CDC is helping to implement PEPFAR’s “combination prevention” strategy, which consists of three key HIV prevention tools:

• Antiretroviral treatment of HIV-positive persons
• Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV
• Voluntary medical male circumcision

When used with HIV testing and counseling, condoms, and other evidence-based and appropriately targeted prevention activities, these proven tools put us on a plausible path for eliminating new HIV infections.

Antiretroviral Treatment of HIV-Positive Persons

Treatment of HIV-positive people with antiretroviral drugs saves lives. In addition, recent science has shown that treatment is also highly effective in preventing HIV transmission to others. The research showed that treatment reduced the risk of HIV transmission from an HIV-positive woman to an uninfected male partner by up to 96%, a success rate similar to that of a vaccine.

Progress and Goal

• As of September 2012, CDC, through PEPFAR, helped support nearly 5.1 million men, women and children with antiretroviral drug treatment.
• By the end of 2013, CDC, through PEPFAR, will help support more than 6 million people on these life-saving drugs.

Preventing Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV

An HIV-positive mother is at risk of transmitting the HIV virus to her child during pregnancy, labor, delivery, or breastfeeding. In 2012, approximately 260,000 children around the world were infected with HIV. Identifying and treating HIV-positive pregnant women with antiretroviral drugs is very effective in eliminating new infant infections.

Progress and Goal

In fiscal year 2012, CDC, through PEPFAR, directly supported

• HIV testing and counseling for more than 11 million pregnant women
• Treatment for 750,000 of these pregnant women who were HIV positive with antiretroviral drugs to prevent their transmitting the HIV virus to their babies
• Prevention of approximately 230,000 infant infections

By the end of 2013, the United States will reach more than 1.5 million HIV-positive pregnant women with antiretroviral drugs to prevent them from passing the virus to their children. To achieve this goal, CDC, through PEPFAR, is supporting the rapid scale-up of high quality services for preventing mother-to-child-transmission.

Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision

Medical male circumcision is a one-time intervention with a lifelong benefit. This low-cost procedure reduces the risk that women with HIV will transmit the HIV virus to HIV-negative men by more than 60%. HIV-negative women also benefit from the lower rate of infections among men.

Progress and Goal

• Through PEPFAR, CDC helped support medical circumcision procedures for approximately 2 million men (cumulatively through September 2012)
• By the end of 2013, CDC, through PEPFAR, will help support over 4.7 million voluntary medical male circumcisions in Eastern and Southern Africa.