AIDS Could Be History by 2018

A stunning new report out today says the virus that causes AIDS could be eliminated in a decade. The research, published in The Lancet and based on a mathematical model, shows the virus could be eradicated if people in countries with high infection rates were tested and treated regularly. But don’t get too excited: The AP cautions the study “is based on assumptions rather than data and is riddled with logistical problems.” Still, “It’s quite a startling result,” Charlie Gilks, an AIDS treatment expert at the World Health Organization and one of the paper’s authors, told AP. “In a relatively short amount of time, we could potentially knock the epidemic on its head.”