Knowra HIV prevention HIV prevention HIV prevention comprises strategies that reduce the chance of acquiring or transmitting human immunodeficiency virus, including biomedical, behavioral, and structural measures.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis : Antiretroviral medication taken by people without HIV to reduce their chance of acquiring it. PrEP provides highly effective medication-based protection before potential exposure.
Antiretroviral therapy : Treatment using medicines that suppress HIV replication and preserve immune function. Effective treatment can prevent sexual transmission by maintaining viral suppression.
Human immunodeficiency virus : A virus that attacks the immune system, especially CD4 T cells, and can cause AIDS if untreated. HIV prevention targets this virus and the infections it causes.
HIV treatment : Medical care and antiretroviral medicines used to manage HIV infection and protect health. Treatment can also prevent transmission, but prevention includes measures for people without HIV.
Post-exposure prophylaxis : A short course of antiretroviral medication started after a possible HIV exposure to prevent infection. PEP is an urgent option after a potential exposure, unlike prevention taken in advance.
Undetectable equals untransmittable : The evidence-based principle that a person with sustained undetectable HIV cannot transmit HIV sexually. U=U explains how treatment-as-prevention works for sexual transmission.
HIV transmission : The spread of HIV between people, most often through sexual contact, shared injection equipment, or perinatal exposure. Prevention strategies are designed around the routes through which HIV can spread.
AIDS : The most advanced stage of HIV infection, marked by severe immune damage or certain illnesses. HIV prevention aims to prevent infection, not merely progression to AIDS.
Condom : A barrier contraceptive worn during sex that reduces transmission of HIV and other infections. Condoms reduce sexual HIV transmission while also preventing some other sexually transmitted infections.
HIV viral load : The amount of HIV RNA in a person's blood, used to assess infection and treatment response. Transmission likelihood is strongly associated with the amount of virus present.
Show all 21