As a result of informed concern about acquiring an STI, you may understandably focus on assessing the risk status of a prospective sexual partner. However, in doing so, you may overlook the equally important need to evaluate your own risk status. If you previously engaged in sexual activity with others, is there any possibility that […]

We discuss several methods of prevention—steps that can be taken before, during, or shortly after sexual contact to reduce the likelihood of contracting an STI. Many of these methods are effective against the transmission of a variety of infections. Several are appli­cable to oral-genital and anal-genital contacts in addition to genital-genital interaction. None of the […]

Many approaches to curtailing the spread of STIs have been advocated. These range from attempting to discourage sexual activity among young people to providing easy public access to information about the symptoms of STIs, along with free medical treat­ment. Unfortunately, the efforts of public health agencies have not been very successful in curbing the rapid […]

The only certain way to avoid contracting HIV sexually is either to avoid all varieties of interpersonal sexual contact that place one at risk for infection or to be involved in a monogamous, mutually faithful relationship with one noninfected partner. If nei­ther of these conditions is applicable, a wise person will act in a way […]

We close this section on treatment with an update on efforts to develop an effective vaccine for HIV. Development of a safe, effective, and affordable vaccine is a global public health priority and remains the best long-term hope for bringing the worldwide HIV/AIDS pandemic under control (Johnston & Fauci, 2011). There are two broad categories […]

In 1994, research demonstrated that zidovudine, an RT inhibitor drug administered to both HIV-infected mothers and their newborns, reduced perinatal mother-to — child transmission (MTCT) by two thirds (Connor et al., 1994). In August 1994 the U. S. Public Health Service recommended zidovudine to reduce perinatal MTCT of HIV. Since 1994 the number of infants […]

The use of a combination of three or more drugs to combat HIV has come to be known as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Most clinicians commence treat­ment of HIV/AIDS with a combination of various RT and PI drugs. The availability of new antiretroviral drugs, including drugs in new classes, requires clinicians to constantly update […]

No cure currently exists for HIV/AIDS. However, thousands of scientists are involved in an unprecedented worldwide effort to ultimately cure and/or prevent this horrific disease. This war is being waged on several fronts, including attempts to develop effec­tive antiretroviral drugs that will kill or at least neutralize HIV and efforts to create a vaccine effective […]

As HIV continues to proliferate and invade healthy cells in an infected person’s body, the immune system loses its capacity to defend the body against opportunistic infec­tions. The incubation period for AIDS (i. e., the time between HIV infection and the onset of one or more severe, debilitating diseases associated with extreme impairment of the […]

Within a few months of being infected with HIV, most people develop antibodies to the virus, in a process called seroconversion. Seroconversion typically occurs sometime between 25 days and 6 months after initial infection. HIV infection can be detected by standard blood tests for blood serum antibodies to HIV. Most HIV tests are now performed […]