Tackling the HIV virus — which sneakily evades the immune system — has been an incredibly complex puzzle for the scientific community. It has required massive investments, expansive collaborations, and the dedication of some of the world’s sharpest minds — committed to the cause over decades.
And now the world is equipped with many of the tools that could help bring this epidemic to an end — treatments, the ability to prevent transmission from mother to child, pre- and post-virus exposure prophylaxis, and a breakthrough six-month injectable prevention method, among other interventions.
“The potential is in our grasp to end a pandemic and in the process, stop the needless [infections] and deaths that continue to impact millions each year,” said Dr. Beatriz Grinsztejn, president of the International Aids Society, during her organization’s conference in Kigali this week.
About the author
Sara Jervingsarajerving
Sara Jerving is a Senior Reporter at Devex, where she covers global health. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, VICE News, and Bloomberg News among others. Sara holds a master's degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where she was a Lorana Sullivan fellow. She was a finalist for One World Media's Digital Media Award in 2021; a finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists in 2018; and she was part of a VICE News Tonight on HBO team that received an Emmy nomination in 2018. She received the Philip Greer Memorial Award from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2014.
