Treating HIV and AIDS

Treating HIV and AIDS

At the heart of HIV treatment is a method called HAART, which stands for highly active antiretroviral therapy. It is an intensive treatment that requires a lot of co-operation and active participation by the patient. To work successfully, the very potent, very active anti-HIV drugs must be taken according to very specific schedules and often must be co-ordinated with what food is eaten and when it is eaten. If the drugs aren't taken in exactly the right way, the virus may become resistant to the drugs and, in fact, to other drugs that might be tried in the future.

There are several different types of drugs used to treat HIV infection and they all work by interfering with the virus's ability to reproduce itself. This may slow the spread of HIV in the body and lengthen the time before other diseases appear, but it will not prevent the spread of HIV to other people. Because HIV can become resistant to the drugs, may doctors use a combination of several drugs to decrease the amount of the virus in the blood.

A new drug designed to enhance the immune system's ability to fight HIV infection, the Salk HIV vaccine, is currently being studied. It is a therapeutic vaccine, which means it helps the body fight the infection, but it does not prevent infection the way the measles vaccine does. Researchers are also studying several other treatment options that they hope will eventually lead to a cure.