AIDS Research Center Gets $8.7M Federal Grant

A Milwaukee AIDS research center has received a 5-year, $8.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Jeffrey Kelly, the director of the Center for AIDS Intervention and Research at the Medical College of Wisconsin, said the center aims to substantially reduce the number of people in the state who contract HIV — a figure currently at about 500 annually.

“We’re rounding a curve, and with concerted effort for the next 5 years and 10 years, we may be able to eradicate this disease,” said Kelly.

He said that will only happen under certain conditions: “If we can get people tested, in treatment, and to adhere to treatment.”

A U.S. Centers for Disease Control study found half of those who are HIV positive are not getting proper treatment. Kelly said that many people may not know they’re infected or don’t start antiretroviral drugs soon enough.

“Usually you think of treatment as being needed after you get sick. In this case, medication prevents people from becoming ill and is most effective when started very early,” said Kelly.

While there is no cure for AIDS, Kelly said that those who get treatment and stick to it can now live beyond age 70.

The Center for AIDS Intervention Research is 1 of 6 federally supported centers in the U.S.