HIV News and Updates: Early Treatment of HIV Can Bring About Lower Risk of Spreading the Infection

People with HIV infection and still feel well should not delay treatment otherwise; the risks will be increased dramatically. Never should anyone be passive with HIV as it is a disease that brings unimaginable suffering not just to the infected person but to the whole family and friends as well.

Reuters reports that the early treatment of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can considerably decrease the chances of passing the fatal disease on to others while the protection is carried on for years as shown in the study about the timing of antiretroviral therapy, or ART. The said study, Initiation of Antiretroviral Therapy in Early Asymptomatic HIV Infection, is published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The leader of the study, Dr. Myron Cohen of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill said that, early therapy for HIV was associated with a 93% lower risk of linked partner infection than was delayed ART. Taking the ART to the point of (virus) suppression, the risk to infect your partner will be dramatically reduced. Based from the study, they did not see transmissions among the 1,763 volunteers who successfully took their treatment.

Delaying the therapy until they developed an AIDS-defining illness or their CD4+, cell counts fell below 250 cells per cubic millimeter. The ones under this study showed that the infection can be passed on more seriously.

People who think that they are infected by HIV should get an immediate consultation with a physician. Here are the possible symptoms of acute HIV infection according to Healthline:

• Rash
• Chills
• Headache
• Fever
• Fatigue
• Loss of appetite
• Muscle aches
• Sore throat
• Night sweats
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Ulcers that appear in the mouth, esophagus, or genitals

If you do not have these symptoms it is still possible that you have the infection since symptoms usually show a few days or four weeks after having sexual contact with an infected person.

HIV is a deadly disease and around two million victims are hit by it every year around the world. It is still safe not to have sexual relations especially when you are not married. It is also safe to just have one partner (your spouse) in sexual relations.