No. it is not true that ARVs cure HIV/AIDS. Antiretroviral medicines (ARVs) are not a cure for HIV/AIDS and cannot prevent HIV infection but can significantly improve the quality of life of people living with the HIV virus. ARVs taken correctly reduce the ability of the HIV virus to replicate or multiply. This in turn increases the ability of the body to fight diseases.

ARVs therefore change HIV from a terminal (fatal) disease to a chronic disease like diabetes, high blood pressure and asthma. A chronic disease is one which can not  be “cured” but can be controlled.

HIV uses CD4 cells (infection-fighting white blood cells) as an HIV factory to replicate or multiply. ARVs get into the CD4 cells at different places and reduce the ability of the HIV virus to replicate so less HIV virus can be made. Because of the nature of the replication cycle of the HIV virus, ARVs usually work in a combination, each acting at a different stage and in a different way to prevent HIV replicating with the CD4 cell.

The amount of HIV in a person’s blood is called viral load. People with a high viral load are more likely to progress rapidly to AIDS than people with a low viral load.

A person on ARVs should not stop even if he or she feels better. It is extremely important for the person on ARVs to adhere to a course of ARV treatment as recommended by the health care adviser. Adherence means to take the correct combination of the ARVs, the correct dose, the correct frequency and at the correct time. A person on ARVs needs a support network (friends, family, HIV+ peers) to encourage and remind him or her to adhere to the course of ARV treatment.

If a person on ARVs misses a dose, it becomes easier for the virus to change its form (mutate) inside the body. Once this happens, the original ARV course will not be effective against the new virus that has mutated or changed form.

Frequent poor adherence, may lead to greater risk of transmission, susceptibility to other infections, increased health costs, drug resistance, limited future ARV treatment options and faster progression to AIDS.

Other Random Questions

• Dear Counselor, I am a girl studying in one of the secondary days schools in Kampala. On my way to and from school, I get bad touches from men and at school, I get bad touches from boys. I really hate these bad touches, what can I do to avoid the bad touches from the boys and men? (1)
• Dear Counselor, what causes sores/itching around one’s private parts and armpits? My friend has suffered for 2 years without medical attention. Please advise her and please tell us the disease/infection she might be suffering from because she is confused. (0)