AIDS experts on Thursday warned that high rates of HIV infection combined with rapid growth population mean the next half- decade will be critical for rolling back AIDS.

In 2013, UNAIDS-Lancet Commission was established to help in the investigation of how AIDS response will be developed in order to satisfy the new era of sustainable development. The UNAIDS-Lancet Commission is composed of experts in the field of HIV, health experts, development experts, health activists, political leaders, and people living with HIV and affected communities, according to International Business Times.

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The main and most effective way that health experts recommends to prevent HIV infection is to reduce the risk of exposure to HIV, for instance by having sex with a condom or  stop sharing needles and other injecting equipment.

UNAIDS head Michel Sidibe said in a statement, "The next five years provide a fragile window of opportunity to fast-track the response and end the aids epidemic by 2030. If we don't, the human and financial consequences will be catastrophic."

According to Huffington Post, there more than 35 million people currently affected by HIV since it was first detected 30 years ago.

HIV can be transmitted through sex without condoms, shared syringes, other injecting equipment's and bodily fluids such as saliva, according to Zee News. HIV treatment with standard antiretroviral therapy (ART) substantially reduces the risk of passing or transmitting the virus onto someone else.

Through sex, HIV can be transmitted by having vaginal or anal intercourse without having condoms. Oral sex can also be one factor but this risk is much lower compared to the other. It can also be caught from sharing sex toys with someone infected with HIV.

The best way to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is to use condoms for penetrative sex and dental dams.

If someone is injecting drugs, it's not advisable to share needles and syringes, or other injecting equipment such as spoons and swabs, for this could expose you to HIV and other viruses found in the blood, such as hepatitis C. Many local authorities and pharmacies offers needle exchange programmes, in which used needles can be exchanged for clean ones.

For pregnant women, they are offered a blood tests to check if they have HIV as part of routine antenatal screening. If it is untreated, HIV can be passed from a pregnant woman to her baby during pregnancy, birth or in breastfeeding. 

TagsAIDS, aids infection, aids disease, aids treament, HIV, hiv disease, hiv infection, hiv treatment