Question

The client is diagnosed with genital herpes. Which medication is used to treat genital herpes? A. Acyclovir (Zovirax) B. Podophyllin C. AZT (Retrovir) D. Isoniazid (Lanzid)

Short answer

A. Acyclovir (Zovirax) B. Podophyllin C. AZT (Retrovir) D. Isoniazid (Lanzid) Answer: A. Acyclovir (Zovirax)

Step-by-step solution

Understand genital herpes

Genital herpes is a common sexually transmitted infection caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). There are two types of HSV: HSV-1, which typically causes cold sores, and HSV-2, which is responsible for genital herpes. The key aim for the treatment of genital herpes is to alleviate pain, reduce recovery time, and prevent complications and recurrent outbreaks.

Analyze the given medications

Now, let's analyze the given options to determine which one is appropriate for treating genital herpes: A. Acyclovir (Zovirax) - an antiviral medication that slows the growth and spread of the herpes virus. B. Podophyllin - a medication primarily used to treat genital warts, but not genital herpes. C. AZT (Retrovir) - an antiviral medication used to treat HIV infection. D. Isoniazid (Lanzid) - an antibiotic used to treat tuberculosis.

Choose the correct medication

Based on the analysis in Step 2, we can see that Acyclovir (Zovirax) is the only medication among the options designed to treat herpes viruses. So, the correct answer is A. Acyclovir (Zovirax), which is used to treat genital herpes.