Preventing HIV: The Cornerstone of Public Health and Sustainable Development

Despite over four decades of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the lack of a cure or vaccine makes prevention paramount. Innovative strategies to interrupt transmission are essential to achieve the 2030 goal of ending the AIDS epidemic, defined by specific epidemiological targets such as a reduction in HIV and AIDS incidence through expanded antiretroviral treatment coverage and viral suppression, and to attain a targeted decrease in the rate of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, rather than viral eradication. Clinical prevention is the cornerstone of global HIV/AIDS control. While antiretroviral therapy has transformed HIV into a manageable condition, stark disparities persist. Vulnerable populations, including adolescent girls and key groups, face heightened risks due to inequality and limited access, demanding targeted investments to end the epidemic. An effective HIV prevention strategy requires multiple pillars: evidence-based education to combat stigma, widespread testing, and accessible biomedical tools like Undetectable = Untransmittable and pre-exposure prophylaxis. Integrating education, condoms, and harm reduction is essential for sustainably controlling the epidemic. Stakeholder engagement is vital for ethical and effective HIV clinical trials. In this way, we aimed to recall the importance of preventing HIV infection and also emphasize current stakeholder engagement alongside GPP guidelines to improve future collaborative research and address poverty, discrimination, and gender inequality, so that HIV could become a manageable chronic disease.