Alternative, complementary and traditional medicine and HIV

Alternative and complementary medicine is quite popular among people living with HIV. For example, around a half of HIV positive Americans report recent use.¹ Many HIV positive people say they feel better after using alternative and complementary medicine, and it is likely that some of these treatments are indeed beneficial, although unproven according to conventional Western medicine.

What are alternative and complementary medicines?

Alternative and complementary medicine is the name generally given to those medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional Western medicine. Well known examples include herbal and other nutritional supplements, acupuncture, aromatherapy and homeopathy.

• Alternative medicine is used in place of conventional medicine
• Complementary medicine is used together with conventional medicine.

The more ancient forms of complementary and alternative medicine are also known as traditional medicine.

AIDS: Fear and Anxiety

This page is designed to help those who feel anxious about HIV and AIDS. It could be a fear that they are infected with HIV, or it could be a fear of being at risk of HIV infection.
If the first section does not answer your worries then the idea is to keep on reading.

Are you anxious or worried because you have been diagnosed HIV positive?

Being diagnosed HIV positive can be devastating to have to deal with but it is not necessarily a death sentence, nor something you need to cope with on your own. Being anxious or fearful of having HIV and all that it entails is perfectly natural. Fear and anxiety are just a couple of many emotions you will inevitably feel, and both you will have to manage. How you respond to the feelings you will experience is a personal thing but it is not something that has to be done alone.
There are many sources of help and advice available to people diagnosed with HIV and a good place to start would be looking at AVERT's pages on learning you are HIV positive.

Criminal transmission of HIV

For the vast majority of people living with HIV, preventing others from becoming infected with the virus that they carry is a primary concern. HIV positive individuals are, after all, only too aware of just how difficult it can be to live with the illness, and few would wish it on anybody else.
This said, not all HIV positive people take the precautions that they perhaps should. Scare stories of people 'deliberately' or 'recklessly' transmitting HIV to others have appeared in the media since the epidemic first began, and some of the individuals concerned have even been criminally charged and imprisoned for their actions. But while at first it might seem obvious to prosecute someone for recklessly or intentionally infecting another with an ultimately fatal virus, this assumption, and its consequences, can present numerous problems.
So what are the issues that must be addressed when prosecuting someone for transmitting HIV? Is it right to try and criminalise HIV positive people in this way? And what can past cases teach us?

Intentional, reckless or accidental?

Before looking at the complexities of prosecuting people for infecting others with HIV, it is first necessary to understand the different types of transmission that can take place. The definitions below are based on general categories and are not specific to any particular country or legal system.

HIV & AIDS symptoms

What are the symptoms of HIV and AIDS?

It is not possible to reliably diagnose HIV infection or AIDS based on symptoms alone. HIV symptoms are very similar to the symptoms of other illnesses. So the only way to know for sure whether a person is infected with HIV is for them to have an HIV test.
People living with HIV may feel and look completely well but their immune systems may nevertheless be damaged. It is important to remember that once someone is infected with HIV they can pass the virus on immediately, even if they feel healthy.
HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. If a person infected with HIV does not take effective antiretroviral treatment, over time HIV will weaken their immune system, which will make them much more vulnerable to opportunistic infections.

AIDS vaccine

Is there an AIDS vaccine?

An AIDS vaccine does not yet exist, but efforts to develop a vaccine against HIV and AIDS have been underway for many years. Since 1987, more than 30 vaccine candidates have been tested.¹
An AIDS vaccine is not the same thing as a cure for AIDS.

Why do we need an AIDS vaccine?

Even a partially effective AIDS vaccine could save millions of lives. Experts have calculated that an AIDS vaccine that is 50% effective, given to just 30% of the population could reduce the number of HIV infections in the developing world by more than half over 15 years. An AIDS vaccine that was more than 50% effective could cut the infection rate by more than 80%.²
An AIDS vaccine would have a number of key advantages over today’s HIV prevention options. In particular, the protection offered by a vaccine during sex would not depend on the consent of both partners (unlike condom use), and would not require behaviour change (unlike abstinence). An AIDS and HIV vaccine would also be invaluable for couples wishing to conceive a child while minimising the risk of HIV transmission.
Children could be given an HIV and AIDS vaccine before ever being exposed to the HIV virus, and ideally this would subsequently protect them from all routes of HIV transmission. Vaccinating large numbers of people would probably require relatively little equipment and expertise, and would be much simpler and cheaper than providing antiretroviral treatment for those already infected.

How might an AIDS vaccine work?

This image shows an antibody (green) in contact with an HIV protein (yellow & red), which is a possible target for AIDS vaccine developers.

President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief

What is PEPFAR?

The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, also known as PEPFAR, is America's initiative to combat the global HIV/AIDS epidemic.

When did PEPFAR start?

President George W. Bush signs the United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003

In his State of the Union Address in January 2003, President George W. Bush made a commitment to substantially increase US support for addressing HIV/AIDS worldwide.¹

"I ask the Congress to commit $15 billion over the next five years, to turn the tide against AIDS in the most afflicted nations of Africa and the Caribbean" President George W. Bush

AIDS & prostitution

For years, ‘prostitution’ has been a major theme in discussions about the global AIDS and HIV epidemic. The media often run stories about HIV that focus on individuals who sell sex, and both governments and HIV related organisations frequently talk about prostitutes and prostitution in the context of AIDS.

Why is ‘AIDS and prostitution’ an issue?

This topic is significant for several reasons:

• High rates of HIV have been found amongst individuals who sell sex in many different and diverse countries. Even where HIV prevalence is low amongst this group, it is usually higher than the rate found amongst the general adult population.
• Sex workers usually have a high number of sexual partners. This means that if they do become infected with HIV, they can potentially pass it on to multiple clients.
• Preventing HIV infections amongst those involved in the sex trade has been proven to be an instrumental part of many countries’ fight against AIDS. We discuss this issue in our HIV prevention and sex workers page.