Question
Does HIV treatment cure HIV?
26 April 2023. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load, Living with HIV long-term, Newly diagnosed, Starting treatment.
I just found out I’m HIV positive and I immediately started treatment. My doctor gave me ART for 3 months straight and I just finished 1 month now. Please what should I do next?? Do I have to do test again? Because I so much believed in a miracle and I have been declared on and I believed. Should I go for test?
Answer
Hi, how are you doing?
It is great that your doctor started you on treatment straight away. Did your doctor explain how HIV treatment works?
ART does not ‘cure’ HIV. ART is used to suppress HIV and stop it damaging your immune system. The goal with ART is to have a suppressed viral load so that is no longer killing your CD4 cells.
Do you know your current CD4 count and viral load?
After a month is is likely your viral load will be suppressed. It is possible for it to be undetectable but this can take up to three months. You will require testing for this.
Unfortautnely HIV treatment does not stop you testing HIV positive.
Josh.
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