Role of biomedical and behavioral interventions and their evidence in prevention of HIV infection: A literature review

Around 2.5 million people become infected with HIV each year and after 30 years of the HIV epidemic more than 34 million persons are living with HIV infection. This extraordinary toll on human life and public health worldwide will only be reversed with effective prevention. There is a need for evidence-based interventions that can be implemented to treat the established infections and prevent the new ones from happening. This paper aims to discuss about different types of HIV prevention strategies that are effective and practiced in different countries with special emphasis on evidence for success. A review of the literature was done to get the information about the successful interventions for HIV prevention from different countries. The literature was accessed from health and medical sciences databases available on the internet. All the relevant peer-reviewed journals and reports were studied and were categorically discussed in detail with the evidence. For a successful reduction in HIV transmission, there is a need for an aggregate effect of radical and sustained behavioral changes in a sufficient number of individuals potentially at risk. Reductions in HIV transmission need widespread and sustained efforts, and a mix of communication channels to disseminate messages to motivate people to engage in range of options to reduce the risk. The effect of behavioral strategies could be increased by aiming for many goals that are achieved by use of multilevel approaches with populations both uninfected and infected with HIV. These prevention programs operate on different levels to address the specific, but diverse needs of the populations at risk of HIV infection. There is an urgent need for greater demand and greater support from communities and policymakers for rights-based, evidenceinformed prevention strategies. And the prevention experts need to overcome the prejudices and political sensitivities that have impeded implementation of the HIV prevention programs