There is now evidence of the efficacy of a number of different biomedical interventions to reduce the transmission of HIV.

Apart from the male condom, which if used correctly and consistently, has been proven in observational studies to be very effective in preventing HIV transmission during sexual intercourse, there are now results from clinical trials of male circumcision, PMTCT, HIV vaccines, pre-exposure prophylaxis, and a vaginal microbicide.

Additionally, the use of antiretrovirals by people living with HIV has recently been demonstrated to dramatically reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to their heterosexual partners. Biomedical interventions will be an important part of a combination HIV prevention package. These pages describe some of the latest research findings and explore some of the issues raised by biomedical prevention.