According to the material, standard antivirals are effective against HIV: true or false?

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Sometimes
• D. Not mentioned

Answer: (B)

Antiviral drugs are usually virus-specific, targeting the unique replication steps of a particular virus. HIV is a retrovirus that uses reverse transcriptase, integrase, protease, and specific entry mechanisms, so it requires drugs that directly inhibit those HIV enzymes and steps. Medications used for other viral infections (like acyclovir for herpes or oseltamivir for influenza) do not effectively block HIV replication. Effective HIV treatment relies on antiretroviral therapy that combines drugs from several classes to inhibit multiple stages of the HIV life cycle and prevent resistance. Because standard antivirals do not target HIV’s replication machinery, the statement is false.