Description: Starting HIV antiretroviral therapy earlier than generally recommended may lead to better control of the hepatitis C virus in people also infected with HIV, a new study finds. Infection with both hepatitis C and HIV is a growing problem, say researchers at the Partners AIDS Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. While the immune systems of many people infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) are able to naturally control levels of that virus, this natural control may be lost in people who are also infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.