I know that most of you probably don’t know what this container is for, you may know that it has pills but pills for what? Today is your lucky day because you will know the type of pills that are stored in this container and the benefits of consuming them.
Let’s make sure that you know the following terms and abbreviations before you continue reading:
1. Viral Load – the amount of virus in an infected person’s blood.
2. ART – it is an abbreviation for antiretroviral treatment.
3. ARVs – an abbreviation for antiretrovirals.
Good news for both HIV positive and negative people around the world
For those who really don’t know, the pill containers that you see above are for antiretrovirals (ARVs). The good news is that, if you take your ARVs daily and on time, the virus can be reduced to such low levels that it becomes undetectable. The virus will no longer be detected in normal blood tests.
If a person has reached the stage of an ‘undetectable’ viral load, that person cannot pass HIV on to another person through sexual activities. Looking and feeling healthy and consuming your ARVs daily and on time doesn’t necessarily mean that your virus has become undetectable, the only way to find out is to have your viral load monitored.
Do you see how important it is to consume your HIV treatment pills the right way? HIV treatment pills suppress the virus, this is why you cannot pass it on to another person if you consume your ARVs well and the virus has become undetectable. Just imagine having the amount of HIV in your body reduced.
Another good thing about antiretroviral treatment is that as they suppress the HIV in the body, they allow the immune system to restore itself. A person is about 96% less likely to transmit the virus if he or she consumes his medication the right way, this is according to HPTN 052 study that was published in the New England Study of Medicine in 2016.
I hope you gained something new today, please follow Mlexie, I still have a lot to share with you.
