UW Health hosted a panel commemorating World AIDS Day Thursday, to discuss innovative AIDS treatments and methods of testing for it.
The discussion was entitled "Getting to Zero" in reference to this year's World AIDS Day theme of reaching a future in which zero people die of HIV and AIDS.
The panel featured representatives from several AIDS prevention and treatment organizations in Madison as well as people living with the disease.
Dr. Gary Jean-Louis of the Dean Infectious Disease Clinic said treatments for HIV and AIDS have greatly improved since the earliest treatments in the 1980's.
"Assuming you already have HIV, it's no longer a death certificate," he said.
In addition to being more effective, Jean-Louis said many new medications can be combined into fewer pills, making them more convenient to take and increasing the likelihood that patients will stay on schedule with their treatments.
Other recent advances in AIDS technology have allowed for rapid testing, which produces results in about 20 minutes, to replace traditional blood tests that can take weeks.
Jenny Shafer, Director of Prevention for the AIDS Network of Madison, said quicker testing has allowed AIDS testing and outreach to take place in new settings such as bars.
Panel members said while treatment has become more effective, preventing AIDS in the first place should remain the top priority and stressed the importance of AIDS prevention awareness tactics and safe sex practices.
One panelist living with AIDS said in addition to treatment, strong support systems are important for people suffering with the disease.
"The staff at UW is awesome," he said. "They've seen me at my worst times and, now, at my better times, and I attribute a lot of that to them and the AIDS Network. Just having a good support team is really important."
