Antiretroviral therapy aims at pushing the viral load-that is, the amount of HIV in the bloodstream down to undetectable levels. In this case, the immune system recovers, and more significantly, an enhancement can be made in the fight against infections, especially due to the recovery of CD4 cells.
Anti-HIV drugs have different modes of action, attacking at every different stage of the HIV life cycle. An example:
If a proper combination of ARVs is given to HIV-positive individuals, they are found to suppress the virus well enough to go on to live normal healthy lives that minimise the transmission risks to others.