Genital herpes drugs slow HIV progress, say experts
May 11, 2009
Genital herpes drugs do not reduce the risk of HIV transmission, but they slow HIV progression, according to findings of a study released on Friday.
By Anthony Bugembe
Genital herpes drugs do not reduce the risk of HIV transmission, but they slow HIV progression, according to findings of a study released on Friday.
“Although acyclovir is widely used to suppress herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2), the most common cause of genital herpes, it does not reduce the risk of HIV transmission when taken by people infected with both HIV and HSV-2,†said Elly Katabira, the principal researcher of the study in Uganda.
About 90% of HIV positive people also have HSV-2 infection.
However, most people infected with HSV-2 do not know they have the virus because they have mild or no symptoms.
Several studies show that frequent genital herpes recurrences increase the amount of HIV in the blood and the genital tract.
The researchers noted that acyclovir treatment reduced the frequency of genital ulcers by 73% and the average amount of HIV in the blood by 40%. However, it did not reduce the transmission risk.
The Partners in Prevention HSV/HIV Transmission study was conducted in Uganda, Kenya, Botswana, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia. It began in November 2004 and was completed in October 2008.
The study was led by the University of Washington and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Genital herpes drugs do not reduce the risk of HIV transmission, but they slow HIV progression, according to findings of a study released on Friday.
“Although acyclovir is widely used to suppress herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2), the most common cause of genital herpes, it does not reduce the risk of HIV transmission when taken by people infected with both HIV and HSV-2,†said Elly Katabira, the principal researcher of the study in Uganda.
About 90% of HIV positive people also have HSV-2 infection.
However, most people infected with HSV-2 do not know they have the virus because they have mild or no symptoms.
Several studies show that frequent genital herpes recurrences increase the amount of HIV in the blood and the genital tract.
The researchers noted that acyclovir treatment reduced the frequency of genital ulcers by 73% and the average amount of HIV in the blood by 40%. However, it did not reduce the transmission risk.
The Partners in Prevention HSV/HIV Transmission study was conducted in Uganda, Kenya, Botswana, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia. It began in November 2004 and was completed in October 2008.
The study was led by the University of Washington and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.