HIV and Aids

There are three important facts about treatment for HIV:

• It is available - and valuable - for HIV-infected persons who are asymptomatic, without symptoms
• It can prevent several illnesses that come with late-stage HIV infection
• HIV therapy and drug development change all the time, so it's important to keep up with latest findings

• Treatment should start early. Researchers now know that drug therapy initiated soon after infection can dampen the initial viral surge that spreads through the body. By keeping the virus in check, the drugs can delay the gradual weakening of the immune system.
• Treatment helps stop spread. Effective treatment is likely to reduce the chances of an infected person transmitting the virus: drugs not only lower the amount of virus in the blood but in bodily fluids as well.
• Treatment delays illness. People on early treatment with powerful drug combinations can delay symptoms of infection longer - and possibly indefinitely - than those not on treatment.

You have probably heard how these miracle drugs used in different combinations have allowed patients once disabled by Aids to return to work and remain free from serious symptoms. However, the long-term impact of these drugs remains unknown. Once the drugs are stopped, the virus often returns in full force. Moreover, there are HIV strains developing that can resist the drugs.

Despite these factors, the consensus is that treatment should be early and aggressive. And while this means taking up to 20 pills a day (or more) and facing significant side effects, HIV has become a condition that can be managed, much like diabetes or high blood pressure.