If patients take Antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) as prescribed, quality of life is expected to improve and patients become healthier. However many misconceptions surrounding HIV and AIDS and its correlation with ARV instead is scaling its spread to the contrary, ARVs is eroding the previous achievement in behavior change interventions and instead sinking the populace into a moral limbo. The study examined community perceptions and beliefs on whether enhanced access to ARVs increases risk behavior. It also examined people’s fears regarding HIV/AIDS infection and the use of ARVs. Fears and misconceptions that enhanced access to ARV will increase risky sexual behavior and HIV transmission.

ARV therapy is not a cure and there are many complex issues that need to be addressed when using them. Some people perceive HIV is a treatable disease, like any chronic disease. Well in a way it is true, but mind: it is still not curable. It was furthermore noted that the availability of ARVs could lead to false confidence of protection from infection as exhibited in the declined use of condoms as a protection measure.

“Automatically people’s sexual behavior has changed and people now go for unprotected sex (live) because they know that there are ARVs that can be used to weaken HIV/AIDS. Some people have hope now that there is medicine to use and keep them living hence having unprotected sexual intercourse.”

People taking ARVs are still contagious to others (although their viral load will be lower) and their chance to die of an opportunistic infection is five times higher as for non HIV-infected people. And it is still not known how long life is elongated by the use of ARVs.

ARV therapy is required for life and strict adherence to therapy is important. Expertise and patience are required to determine the particular ARV drug, or combination of drugs, and dosages that will be most effective in each case, and to regularly monitor the victim’s response to the drugs, making adjustments to the therapy as necessary. Adjunctive management, such as provision of immunizations and nutritional support is very important specifically for children. HIV can become resistant to ARV drugs over time.

ARV drugs can also interact with many other medications, including some of those used to prevent or treat opportunistic infections, such as tuberculosis. ARV therapy, when administered properly, is effective in controlling HIV in children.

The quality of ARVs on the market

Some HIV & AIDS victims on ARVs treatment have argued that on certain occasions the drugs were either counterfeit or expired. “In the process of increasing ARVs use and availability in the country, some people will start manufacturing and selling fake and duplicated ARVs. This is because they will be interested to meet the people’s increased demand for the drug.” This perception has made other victims not to go on treatment, for one to receive any form of ARV then he/she should make sure that he/she gets it from a recognized hospital or VCT.

There is a wrong presumption that ARV do not have side effects to the HIV positive Victim, like most medicines, antiretroviral drugs can cause side effects. These unwanted effects are often mild, but sometimes they are more serious and can have a major impact on health or quality of life. On rare occasions, side effects can be life threatening. Once started, antiretroviral treatment must be taken every day for life. Every missed dose increases the risk that the drugs will stop working. It is therefore vital that people receiving antiretroviral treatment get all the help they need to minimize the impact of side effects. Often there are several ways to lessen the harm, either by treating the side effects or by switching to alternative antiretroviral drugs.

Side effects vary from person to person and it is impossible to predict exactly how each individual will be affected. Some people take antiretroviral treatment for years with few problems, while others find the same drugs intolerable. Nevertheless some characteristics and pre-existing conditions (such as high blood pressure or hepatitis infection) are known to increase the risk from certain side effects. Doctors should assess these factors before advising patients on which drugs to choose. Some side effects appear shortly after starting an antiretroviral drug and disappear within a few weeks as the body gets used to the new chemicals. This is often the case with nausea, diarrhoea and headache, for example. Unfortunately other side effects – such as peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage) and lipodystrophy (fat redistribution) – tend to worsen over time and may never go away.