Is there a cure for HIV? There is no cure for HIV, but you can control it with safe and effective HIV treatment which should be started as soon as someone is diagnosed with HIV. When treatment is taken regularly as prescribed, PLHIV live long, healthy, productive, and active lives and can protect their partners.
What is antiretroviral therapy (ART)? Anti-retroviral therapy (ART) refers to the combination of medicines to treat HIV infection. ART stops multiplication of HIV virus and stops it from making more viral copies. When taken regularly as prescribed, ART can suppress the level of virus in the blood (called viral load) and rebuild the immune response (including CD4immune cells). The current ART require you to take the drugs daily. ART does not prevent or treat other sexually transmitted diseases, like chlamydia and gonorrhoea.
What are the benefits of ART? HIV treatment can make the viral load very low (viral suppression). Viral suppression means when viral load, after initiation of ART is less than 1,000copies/ml and remains less than 1000 copies/ml. If your viral load goes down after starting HIV treatment, that means treatment is working and your body is staying healthy.
Most people have viral suppression after six months of taking medication regularly, but it is important you continue to take your HIV treatment as prescribed even after viral load is decreasing/suppressed. Stopping treatment may make you sick and could also cause the virus to change(or mutate), resulting in other health complications including medication resistance and limiting your options for effective ART.
I am newly diagnosed with HIV, when should ART be initiated? Itis important to start HIV treatment as soon as possible after diagnosis. Make sure you tell your healthcare provider about all other medicines you are taking(including over the counter supplements), your other medical conditions, and any symptoms you may be feeling. Your healthcare provider may also do some tests at your initial visit. All PLHIV should take HIV treatment, no matter how long they’ve had HIV or how healthy they are.