Achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 3: challenges in HIV testing in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

In the era prior to antiretroviral therapy (ART), taking an HIV test was associated with great fear, as a diagnosis of HIV infection signaled imminent death. As we mark World AIDS Day on 1 December 2017, it is worth reflecting on the success over the last two decades whereby treatment for HIV infection has become safer, more effective and simpler as new regimens with fixed combinations of antiretroviral drugs have become available (ARV). The use of ARVs has equally revolutionized HIV prevention beyond condom use, syringe exchange and screening of transfusion blood and transplant organs. ART suppresses viral replication, reduces viral load and thus minimizes the possibility of HIV transmission.