HIV Prevention and Treatment Strategies

Education and Awareness: Promote understanding of HIV transmission and prevention.
Condom Use: Encourage consistent and correct use of condoms during sex.
Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP): Medication taken by HIV-negative individuals to reduce risk of infection.
Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP): Emergency treatment within 72 hours after potential HIV exposure.
Regular Testing: Routine HIV screenings for those at risk to ensure early detection.
Needle Exchange Programs: Provide clean needles to reduce risk among intravenous drug users.
Safe Sex Practices: Limit the number of sexual partners and avoid sharing personal items that may be contaminated.

Antiretroviral Therapy (ART): Combination of medications to control HIV replication and maintain immune function.
- NRTIs (Nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors): Block reverse transcriptase enzyme.
- NNRTIs (Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors): Bind to reverse transcriptase and inhibit its activity.
- PIs (Protease Inhibitors): Prevent viral replication by inhibiting protease enzyme.
- INSTIs (Integrase Strand Transfer Inhibitors): Block integrase enzyme from integrating viral DNA into host cell DNA.
Regular Monitoring: CD4 count and viral load tests to assess treatment effectiveness.
Supportive Care: Addressing symptoms and complications related to HIV and opportunistic infections.

Sexual Contact: Unprotected vaginal, anal, or oral sex with an infected person.
Blood Exposure: Sharing needles, syringes, or other drug paraphernalia.
Mother-to-Child Transmission: During childbirth or breastfeeding.
Organ Transplants or Blood Transfusions: Rare but possible if contaminated blood is used.

Acute HIV Infection (2-4 weeks after exposure):
- Flu-like symptoms: Fever, sore throat, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, rash.
Clinical Latency Stage (Chronic HIV):
- May be asymptomatic; virus is still active but reproduces at very low levels.
Symptomatic HIV (if untreated):
- Persistent fatigue, unexplained weight loss, recurrent fevers, night sweats.
- Frequent infections: Oral thrush, shingles, and persistent cough.
- Neurological symptoms: Memory loss, depression, and confusion.
Progression to AIDS:
- CD4 count drops below 200 cells/mm³, leading to severe immune deficiency.
- Opportunistic infections or cancers become more common.

Education and awareness initiatives are essential for understanding HIV transmission and prevention methods.
Consistent and correct condom use during sexual activity significantly reduces the risk of HIV transmission.
PrEP is a daily medication for HIV-negative individuals that lowers the risk of contracting HIV.
PEP must be administered within 72 hours after potential exposure to HIV to be effective as an emergency treatment.
Regular testing for HIV is crucial for at-risk populations to facilitate early detection and treatment.
Needle exchange programs help reduce the risk of HIV among intravenous drug users by providing access to clean needles.
Practicing safe sex involves limiting sexual partners and avoiding sharing personal items that may transmit the virus.

Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) combines multiple medications to manage HIV replication and support immune system function.
NRTIs inhibit the reverse transcriptase enzyme, crucial for HIV replication.
NNRTIs are designed to bind to and disrupt the activity of the reverse transcriptase enzyme.
Protease Inhibitors (PIs) prevent the replication of the virus by targeting the protease enzyme.
Integrase Strand Transfer Inhibitors (INSTIs) block the integrase enzyme, preventing the incorporation of viral DNA into the host’s DNA.
Regular monitoring of CD4 counts and viral loads is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of HIV treatment.
Supportive care focuses on managing symptoms and addressing complications from HIV and related opportunistic infections.

Sexual contact, particularly unprotected vaginal, anal, or oral sex, is a primary route for HIV transmission.
Blood exposure through sharing needles or drug paraphernalia poses a significant risk of HIV infection.
Mother-to-child transmission can occur during childbirth or through breastfeeding.
HIV can be transmitted through contaminated blood in organ transplants or blood transfusions, though this is rare.

Acute HIV infection occurs 2-4 weeks post-exposure and is characterized by flu-like symptoms such as fever, sore throat, and fatigue.
The clinical latency stage may show few symptoms; however, the virus remains active and reproduces at minimal levels.
Untreated symptomatic HIV manifests as persistent fatigue, unexplained weight loss, recurrent fevers, night sweats, frequent infections, and neurological symptoms like memory loss and confusion.
Progression to AIDS is indicated by a CD4 count dropping below 200 cells/mm³, leading to severe immune deficiency and increased susceptibility to opportunistic infections and cancers.