HIV Treatment

Vaccines protect people from diseases, such as chicken pox, influenza (flu), and polio. Vaccines are given by needle injection (a shot), by mouth, or nasal spray. The process of getting a vaccine is called vaccination or immunization.

When a person gets a vaccine, the body's immune system mounts an immune response that protects the body against the disease. In this way, the immune system learns to defend the body if the person is later exposed to the disease. Most vaccines are designed so that a person never gets a particular disease or only gets a mild case of the disease. 

Vaccines not only protect individuals from disease; they protect communities as well. When most people in a community get immunized against a disease, there is little chance of a disease outbreak.

Yes. Vaccines are safe and effective. Some people may experience side effects from vaccines, but these are generally minor (for example, soreness at the location of an injection or a mild fever) and go away within a few days. Severe reactions to vaccines are rare. Before getting a vaccine, talk to your health care provider about the benefits of the vaccine and possible side effects.

There have been about 250 HIV vaccine trials, most of them being early-stage trials where scientists look at whether the vaccine is safe and whether we mount an immune response following vaccination. Very few vaccine trials have advanced to late-stage testing where scientists look where the vaccine is effective in stopping HIV infection. None has proven effective, and no HIV vaccines have been approved for use outside of clinical trials. Even with recent setbacks, scientists are looking at new technologies to design experimental vaccines to prevent and treat HIV. For more information about experimental HIV vaccines, read the HIVinfo fact sheets What is a Preventive HIV Vaccine? and What is a Therapeutic HIV Vaccine?

Even though there are no vaccines to prevent or treat HIV, people with HIV can benefit from vaccines against other diseases.

The following vaccines are recommended for people with HIV:

• COVID-19
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Human papillomavirus (HPV)
• Influenza (flu)
• Meningococcal 
• Pneumococcal (pneumonia)
• Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough). A single vaccine called Tdap protects adolescents and adults against these three diseases.
• Zoster (shingles)

Additional vaccines may be recommended for a person with HIV based on the person’s age, previous vaccinations, risk factors for a particular disease, or certain HIV-related factors.

People with HIV are at a much higher risk of getting many of these diseases, so they should talk with their health care providers to determine which vaccines they should receive and when they should receive them.

Regardless of destination, all travelers should be up to date on routine vaccinations. People who plan to travel outside the United States may need to be vaccinated against diseases that are present in other parts of the world, such as cholera or yellow fever.

If you have HIV, talk to your health care provider about any vaccines you may need before you travel.

To prepare for your trip, read information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Travelers with Weakened Immune Systems.  

From CDC:

• People with Certain Medical Conditions and COVID-19 Risk Factors
• Chapter 5: Travelers with Additional Considerations: Immunocompromised Travelers

From the Department of Health and Human Services:

• Vaccine Basics

From NIH Office of AIDS Research:

• Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Adults and Adolescents with HIV:
  • Immunizations for Preventable Diseases in Adults and Adolescents with HIV

Also see the HIV Source collection of HIV links and resources.