BREAKING NEWS:
PEOPLE WITH A CD4 OF 350 OR LESS CAN START ARVS AT ANY STATE CLINIC. August 12 2011

do they really work?

A resounding yes. ARVs save lives. This is a scientific truth which is proven every single day. We see people living with HIV who are looking desperately for their prayers to be answered: ARV is the answer to their prayers. Nothing else has been proven to increase health and longevity of people living with HIV. ARV works.

Antiretrovirals (ARVs, also called antiretroviral therapy or ART) are a class of drugs which suppress HIV in the blood when used correctly.

When to take ARvs ?

Currently it is recommended that adults startantiretroviral therapy when the CD4 count is less than 350 cells/mm3 AND/OR disease stage 3-4. 

If you are an HIV-infected child or pregnant woman, consult your doctor immediately to be evaluated to start ARV: do not wait.

for how long should I take ARVs?

It is true that ARVs must be used for the rest of one’s life. The good news is that ARVs give you back the rest of your life! ARVs are used as a combination of at least 3 drugs. Often, 2 or 3 of the drugs can be combined in one pill.

and the costs?

Depend on the drugs chosen, ARV costs start from as little as R300 per month upward in SA.

Monitoring of ARV therapy is important to check that ARVs are working properly and that they are not causing damage to the body. 

Routine recommendations are to monitor monthly for the first 3 months, again at month 6, and then if stabilized, after every 6 months. Monitoring is done by physical examinations and blood tests.

simply said:

ARV=Antiretroviral  drug-commonly known as ARVs in South Africa. i,e, Antiretrovirals. 

Other commonly used terms for the same thing:

HAART= Highly Active Antiretroviral Treatment

ART= Antiretroviral Treatment

Triple Therapy: Another term for ARVs

Viral load= the number of HIV copies in every ml of blood. After six months on ARV, viral load should be undetectable.

CD4= white blood cells or immune soldiers which help fight infections and cancers. Normal CD4 is over 600.

What is resistance ?

Resistance (“super HIV”) is scary. Resistant virus stops responding to ARVs. Resistance is caused by:

1) taking ARVs incorrectly (missing doses, taking some pills and not all, starting ARV and stopping)

2) Using substancesand drugs which act against your ARVs—always check with your HIV doctor

3) Getting infected with a resistant strain of the virus e.g. through unprotected sex

Correct use of ARVs means taking the pills at around the same time every day (once or twice a day depending on the regimen chosen). If, after starting ARVs, you stop treatment, HIV will multiply in your blood once more, destroy CD4 cells and may become resistant to treatment.