Article Abstract:
There are many effective strategies that can prevent the transmission of HIV through sexual intercourse. Sexual intercourse remains the major mode of HIV transmission, accounting for 75% to 85% of all cases. However, transmission still involves many factors including the susceptibility of the partner, the stage of HIV infection, whether either partner has another sexually transmitted disease and whether they use condoms. The most effective preventive strategies are condom use, treatment of sexually transmitted diseases and safe sex. HIV infection must be detected early if these methods are to have an impact.
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Article Abstract:
A study from Uganda shows that there are ways to make HIV-infected people less infectious. The researchers followed several hundred couples, of which one partner was HIV-positive, to study heterosexual transmission of HIV. None of the HIV-infected people with fewer than 1,500 copies of HIV-1 per milliliter of blood transmitted the virus to their uninfected partner. Conversely, 37% of the transmissions occurred in couples where the HIV-positive partner had 50,000 or more copies per milliliter of blood. None of the 50 HIV-negative men who had been circumcised became infected.
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Article Abstract:
The antiviral drug acyclovir might prevent many HIV infections by preventing genital ulcers caused by herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2). A study published in 2004 showed that a similar drug called valacyclovir reduced the transmission of HSV-2 between married couples by 48%. Acyclovir is cheap and the virus is not likely to become resistant to it.
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