A UNC-led research team has made a major discovery in the effort to halt the spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Study results show that early initiation of antiretroviral treatment in people infected with HIV prevents them from transmitting the virus to their partners. Â
The study was designed to evaluate whether antiretroviral drugs can prevent sexual transmission of HIV infection among couples in which one partner is HIV-infected and the other is not.
Led by UNC’s Myron S. Cohen, the research found that treating HIV-infected individuals with antiretroviral therapy when their immune systems are still relatively healthy led to a 96 percent reduction in HIV transmission to their partners.