Herpes Treatment Does Not Reduce Risk Of Contracting HIV

Results of a new study paid for by the U.S.’ National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases show that treating a person who has the herpes virus does not reduce their risk of contracting the HIV virus.

For a long time now, doctors have been of the impression that people with herpes had an elavated risk of contracting the HIV virus, so it was only natural for them to think that by suppressing the herpes virus, that the risk of contracting HIV would also be reduced.

For their study, researchers tracked 3,000 people who had the herpes virus, giving half of them aciclovir, and the other half a placebo.

Results showed that after some follow up time the number of people taking the herpes drug that ended up contracting the virus was not low enough to clearly state that the drug helped reduce their risk.

The study will be published in the June 21 edition of The Lancet.