“HIV Treatment and Prevention: Antiretrovirals, PEP, and More”

Although HIV drugs do not yet exist, treatments that slow disease progression are available. This treatment can make infected people live longer and lead a healthy lifestyle.

There are various types of HIV drugs that are combined to control the virus. If a person feels or suspects that he or she has just been infected with the virus within 3×24 hours, they can take anti-HIV drugs that can prevent infection. This drug is called post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). Prophylaxis is a medical procedure aimed at preventing rather than treating.

PEP should be started immediately, up to three days after exposure to the virus. Treatment using PEP lasts for a month. There is no guarantee that HIV treatment will work.

Antiretroviral Drugs

Antiretrovirals (ARVs) are some of the HIV drugs used to treat HIV infection. ARVs will slow the growth of the virus. Over time, HIV can become resistant to one class of ARVs.

Therefore, a combination of ARV groups will be given to the patient. Once HIV treatment is started, the drug must be taken for life. If one ARV combination doesn’t work, it can be consulted to change it to another ARV combination.

New HIV treatment can be successful if the person taking the drug regularly (at the same time every time he takes the drug). If you miss even one dose, the effect can increase the risk of failure.

HIV prevention

Until now, there is no vaccine that can prevent HIV infection. Nonetheless, infection can be prevented. Here are some ways to prevent HIV:

– Use a new condom every time you have sex.

– Avoid having sex with more than one partner.

– Tell your partner if you are HIV positive, so that your partner also undergoes an HIV test.

– Discuss again with your doctor if you are diagnosed as HIV positive during pregnancy, regarding further treatment and delivery planning, to prevent transmission from mother to fetus.

– For men, circumcision is recommended to reduce the risk of HIV infection.