[anakaine]

HIV is very manageable with drugs, and life expectations are very high. Whilst the disease is horrible, and we should be seeking a cure, its manageable. HSV is emerging as one of the biggest contributors to dementia. That is itself a disease that kills - just over a longer time span. Unfortunately for HSV there is little long term strategy for management that can address this issue. The *ciclovir drugs primarily target viral shedding, and not the rest of the infection cycle.

[est31]

It takes non trivial logistical efforts to deliver HIV drugs to people. Think folks living in slums in south africa, homeless drug users in the USA, etc.

Around 680k people died of AIDS related illnesses in 2020 alone. https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/fact-sheet

Also the number of HIV infected people is still increasing.

https://www.avert.org/global-hiv-and-aids-statistics

[KingMachiavelli]

I'd be very surprised if the long term cognitive effects of HSV were greater than HIV even with modern drugs.