Therapy

Is it true that people with HIV who are currently undergoing antiretroviral therapy are no longer infectious?

People who are HIV-positive and

• are diligently pursuing an effective antiretroviral therapy and
• are having its progress regularly monitored by a physician are no longer sexually infectious.

In other words, they no longer transmit the virus through sexual contact, as long as they also remain free of sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhoea and herpes. In such circumstances, a monogamous couple consisting of an HIV-positive partner and an HIV-negative partner may, following consultation with an expert, together decide to refrain from the use of condoms.

In the case of casual sex or sexual contact with a new acquaintance, however, such people are still advised to use a condom. Situations like these do not inspire the trust necessary to make a joint decision. Nor are all HIV-positive people involved in antiretroviral therapy — not by a long shot.

The complete 2008 statement by the Federal Commission for AIDS-related issues (FCAI).

There  is much talk about new treatment possibilities. Will Aids soon be a curable disease?

Combination therapies against HIV have been available since 1996. They often make it possible to slow down the progression of an HIV infection considerably. Consequently, fewer and fewer people die of Aids; and the serious diseases that occur as a consequence of HIV infection are also decreasing. However, even with combination therapies, infection is irreversible and it is not possible to regain one’s original state of health.