Introduction

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is treatment of people infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) using anti-HIV drugs. The standard treatment consists of a combination of drugs (often called "highly active antiretroviral therapy" or HAART) that suppress HIV replication. The combination of drugs is used in order to increase potency and reduce the likelihood of the virus developing resistance. ART reduces mortality and morbidity rates among HIV-infected people, and improves their quality of life. The benefits of ART also include the prevention of HIV transmission by suppressing HIV replication in persons living with the virus. This benefit of ART is also defined as “undetectable equal untransmittable”

Dr. Anupama Karki

Dr. Kamal Raj Thapa

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Suresh Prasad Nepal