HIV treatment cascade important tool for reaching AIDS-free generation goal

In the Huffington Post's "Healthy Living" blog, Ward Cates, president emeritus of FHI 360, examines the HIV treatment cascade, which he says "is crucial both to assuring the individual's health and to achieving the public health goal of an AIDS-free generation." The first step in the cascade is HIV testing, which determines whether an individual should be referred for and receive HIV care and treatment, he notes, adding, "We can use the cascade model to help gain accurate assessments of the 'leakage points' in the HIV care and treatment system. By knowing where in the cascade we need to focus, we can provide additional incentives for patients and resources for providers to improve retention." Cates describes several novel prevention technologies, highlights programs in different countries working to bring people into the cascade, and concludes, "As we pause to reflect on 2012's World AIDS Day, let's resolve to get everyone on board to make the most of the tools we have. We can conquer this disease" (11/27).