How should physicians and patients decide whether to start treatment for HIV-2?
Physicians caring for patients with HIV-2 infection should decide whether to initiate antiretroviral therapy after discussing with their patients what is known, what is not known, and the possible adverse effects of treatment. What can be done to control the spread of HIV-2? Continued surveillance is needed to monitor HIV-2 in the U.S. population because the possibility for further spread of HIV-2 exists, especially among injecting drug users and people with multiple sex partners. Programs aimed at preventing the transmission of HIV-1 also can help to prevent and control the spread of HIV-2. 2. Epidemiology and Natural History of HIV Infection Introduction The successful introduction and spread of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) into the global human population has occurred for many reasons. The discovery and wide spread use of penicillin and other antibiotics meant that there was treatment and cure for most sexually transmitted diseases. The existence of these new drugs changed
