HIV, it turns out, is not just an ordinary virus, but a "retrovirus" which multiplies by using the other cells in the infected person's body. The role of "antiretrovirals" is to simply reduce the number of multiplying HIV-infected cells before it's too late. The scary thing about this is that HIV cells multiply by the billions everyday! But antiretrovirals, when combined with other drugs, can help reduce this number, slow down the infection, and eventually stop the spread of the disease.
