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Criminal transmission of HIV is the intentional or reckless infection of a person with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Some countries or jurisdictions, including some areas of the United States, have laws that criminalize HIV transmission or exposure. [298] Others may charge the accused under laws enacted before the HIV pandemic.
Patients' experience and preferences are becoming prominent considerations in the provision of treatment. [4] [5] [6] The HIV Clinical Guidelines program seeks input from the consumer advisory committee as part of an effort to include patients' experience in the guidelines development process. [1] Each guideline is reviewed by consumers.
HAART decreases the patient's total burden of HIV, maintains function of the immune system, and prevents opportunistic infections that often lead to death. [2] HAART also prevents the transmission of HIV between serodiscordant same-sex and opposite-sex partners so long as the HIV-positive partner maintains an undetectable viral load. [3]
Metformin, a common medication used to treat type 2 diabetes, may also help reduce the viral reservoir in people living with HIV who are undergoing antiretroviral therapy.
This is an important time for prevention, as acquiring HIV during pregnancy increases the risk of transmission to the infant. [6] Global oral PrEP accessibility for women, including those who are either pregnant or breastfeeding, is limited. In addition, there is minimal research on the effects of injectable PrEP and pregnancy outcomes. [21]
Patients who are medically stable and who have low viral load for two years may get viral load counts every 6 months instead of 3. [1] If a viral load count is not stable or sufficiently low, then that might be a reason to modify the HIV treatment. [1] If HIV treatment is changed, then the viral load should be tested 2–8 weeks later. [1]
Specific proposed high-risk transmission channels, allowing the virus to adapt to humans and spread throughout the society, depend on the proposed timing of the animal-to-human crossing. Genetic studies of the virus suggest that the most recent common ancestor of the HIV-1 M group dates back to c. 1910. [166]
HIV is commonly transmitted via unprotected sexual activity, blood transfusions, hypodermic needles, and from mother to child. Upon acquisition of the virus, the virus replicates inside and kills T helper cells , which are required for almost all adaptive immune responses .