Treatment for HIV/AIDS
While there currently is no widely accepted cure for HIV/AIDS, there are many ways to successfully treat the disease, and some ways to prevent infection after exposure. Antiretroviral drugs work to combat HIV by hindering its replication process, while many HIV patients also receive vaccinations and medicine for other diseases in order to prevent these diseases from becoming a threat in the future. Emotional support is also an important part of the treatment process, and helps make life easier for those dealing with the symptoms of HIV/AIDS. Post-exposure prophylaxis drugs can be administered to healthcare workers who have been exposed to HIV, and significantly decrease the rate of infection. In the end, treatment can significantly delay the effects of having HIV/AIDS, as most people with HIV/AIDS can live normal lifestyles in the early stages of their disease. While there is no widespread accepted cure to AIDS, many pharmaceutical companies are working to develop cures. With each step of advanced treatment, society is closer to a cure, or even a vaccine, for AIDS.
Antiretroviral drugs are given everyday to HIV patients in order to prolong symptoms and illness. They work by slowing down the replication of HIV-infected proteins. Most HIV patients take more than one antiretroviral drug at a time so that if the disease becomes resistant to one drug, others are in place to still work to hinder replication. This is called combination therapy, and when patients take more than three antiretroviral drugs it is called Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART). It is important for HIV patients to take more than one antiretroviral drug in case a strain of HIV mutates to become drug resistant. Nevertheless, antiretroviral drugs are essential to HIV treatment, and are improving in quality each year.
In addition to taking drugs that directly address HIV/AIDS, many doctors choose to administer vaccines against diseases which can be especially harmful to someone with HIV, which weakens the immune system and makes the patient more susceptible to other diseases. Some common vaccines include vaccines against pneumonia or hepatitis-B, in addition to standard vaccinations. If someone has other diseases like syphilis, toxoplasmosis, or tuberculosis, a doctor also provides treatment for those diseases so that they do not become a greater threat in the long run. These methods of preventative care stop normally treatable diseases from becoming great problems later.
Emotional support is also an important component of the HIV treatment process. It is important to address and dismiss some of the incorrect stigma associated with having AIDS. Talking with an HIV patient is an effective way to open dialogue about his or her disease and their emotions, allowing for better communication and understanding between patient and friend. In addition to relying on friends and family, HIV patients can also have a close relationship with their doctors, nurses, and other AIDS patients. Furthermore, HIV is not communicable by touch, and it is important to show physical signs of care to those with HIV/AIDS. HIV patients, even in their later stages of life, should not be excluded from family activities (including chores), and ought to be treated like they have an important role in a family or group. By staying supportive of those with HIV, it makes it easier for patients to deal with their symptoms and treatment by not having to worry about what others are thinking.
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is used to treat people who have been exposed to HIV. Patients begin taking PEP drugs as soon as possible, usually within seventy-two hours of exposure. PEP treatment encompasses about a thirty day use of a combination of antiretroviral drugs; however, they sometimes have serious side effects. PEP treatment is usually limited to healthcare workers, who are at a higher risk of contacting HIV/AIDS due to their exposure to blood and other bodily fluids. However, in the United States the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made PEP available to the public upon prescription, should someone be knowingly exposed to AIDS, most likely during intercourse or through other high-risk activities. Studies have shown that PEP drugs are seventy-nine percent effective in preventing the infection of healthcare workers; although, there is no data analyzing the success of PEP in the public ("Treatment After Exposure to HIV"). However, the fact that PEP is successful in preventing possible HIV infections shows the power of drugs and the promise for a possible eventual cure.
There have been efforts to find cures and vaccines for HIV/AIDS, some of which were unsuccessful, and others which were controversial. Merck & Co. pharmaceutical company teamed up with the Gates Foundation to develop a vaccine for AIDS. The vaccine made it to phase II testing (which involves testing on a medium-sized group of volunteers), but in 2007 Merck declared that the results proved to be ineffective. The president of Gambia, an African nation, declared that he found a cure for AIDS in 2007, but his claim was very controversial and not backed by scientific findings. The president stated that the cure, which contains seven mixed herbs, came to him in a dream. Although some have claimed that the herbal concoction cured them of HIV symptoms, the president does not have a medical degree. To make things more controversial, he fired a UN envoy in Gambia for speaking out against his cure. The UN and WHO currently back the statements of their envoy, and say that Gambians should continue traditional AIDS treatment until a cure is proven.
While a reliable cure or vaccination for HIV/AIDS is yet to come, there are still many effective ways of treating the disease. These include antiretroviral medications, preventative care of other diseases which HIV can make more harmful, emotional support, and PEP for healthcare workers. While each of these means of treatment is promising, it is important to note that many developing countries lack the resources to distribute treatment to all of their AIDS patients. In some cases this is because of poverty, while in others it is because of negative stigma towards HIV. Before AIDS can be treated at a medical level medical workers must be willing to treat those with AIDS, and those infected must be able to accept treatment without fear of discrimination.