Does ART really work?

Yes. Amazingly well.

Globally, more than 24 million people are now on ART.

ART works for adults and children, for women and men. It works for transgender and cisgender people.

It works no matter how you were infected, whether this was sexually, through drug use, at birth, or by blood products.

Taking ART at the right time and in the right way will reduce HIV to very low levels.

I was caught just in time, in 1996, when the first effective combinations became available. I did not think that it would make a difference. Now that I understand how the drugs work, I know that they are active, whether I believe in them or not.

Recently, I’ve found out that ART protects my partner. I like feeling less infectious – it helps to normalise HIV.

Ask questions about anything you don’t understand. You can then take responsibility for whatever you decide.

Look at treatment as something you have to be really committed to for the next few years. Take this new aspect of your life more seriously than anything else until you get it right.

— Simon, London

Last updated: 1 June 2022.