23rd February 2024

A 72-year-old woman is brought to the emergency department with profound confusion, headache and difficulty with speech.

A 72-year-old woman is brought to the emergency department with profound confusion, headache and difficulty with speech. On examination she appears febrile with a diffuse rash. Her weight is 60kg. Her symptoms have been getting progressively worse over the past 2 days. A lumbar puncture is carried out which shows:

<2000 cell count (predominantly leucocytes), glucose normal, protein <150 mg/dL, PCR HSV positive.

State one drug that the patient should be started on immediately for this condition.