DID YOU KNOW THAT 30% OF PEOPLE WITH A NEW HIV DIAGNOSIS ARE 50 YEARS OR OLDER?
 
 
 
DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE CURRENTLY IS AN ESTIMATED 1,400 PEOPLE IN THE NETHERLANDS ARE UNWARE OF THEIR HIV INFECTION?
 
 
 
DID YOU KNOW THAT IF YOU ARE SUCCESSFULLY TREATED FOR HIV YOU CANNOT TRANSMIT HIV TO YOUR (UNBORN) CHILD?

TREATMENT OF HIV

 

In most cases

just one tablet once a day is sufficient 
 
 

Other options are

two or three tablets once a day or one tablet twice a day.
 
 

The future

(Probably mid 2021)
long-acting injectables (to replace oral tablets) injected every two months
 
 

HIV treatment 

lowers the amount of virus in the blood and restores resistance 
 
 

These days

everyone starts HIV treatment soon after being diagnosed
 
 

Increasingly 

only one single pill for therapy compliance and convenience of use
 

Important medication points

 

Resistance

If you do not take your medication correctly,
HIV can develop mutations,
which can lead to resistance. 
 

Interactions

with other medications,
herbal agents or supplements
can affect the action of HIV medication
 

Preventive

HIV medication can be used
to prevent HIV (PrEP)

Duo-therapy

Since 2018, treatment with two instead of three active substances is available. For years, it was thought that three active substances were necessary to suppress and maintain suppression of the virus. Recent research shows that in specific cases, two active substances are also sufficient to suppress the virus. Taking one less active substance lowers the risk of side effects.
 
 
 
 
 

Efficacy

The effectiveness of HIV medication is determined by measuring viral load. Viral load or burden is the number of virus particles present in the blood.
 

No longer transmissible

Someone living with HIV who is adequately treated with HIV and has an undetectable viral load (no virus detectable in the blood) can no longer transmit HIV to another person.