大象传媒

A trial has shown that rates of HIV infection can be cut dramatically by treating actively gay men with an anti-viral drug when they are healthy.

The evidence suggests that if gay men with active sex lives, who don't have HIV, take the pill called Truvada every day, they are far less likely to get HIV. It reduced the risk of infection by as much as 86%.

Sarah Montague asked Dr Mitzy Gafos, senior social scientist at the Medical Research Council, if the results were really striking and challenged her that men could use condoms to prevent infection instead. Dr Gafos replied that comparably it will be cheaper than HIV treatment, after infection:

鈥淎n estimated cost, roughly at the moment, is about 拢420 a month for Truvada...in comparison to the life-long cost of living with HIV, those treatment costs are estimated at approximately 拢280,000 鈥� 拢360,000,鈥� she said.