Receiving ARVs on testing HIV positive increases uptake of treatment

HIV-positive patients who were given antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) on the day they tested positive were much more likely to start treatment than those who had to return to the clinics up to five times before being given the drugs.

TMG Digital, 17 May 2016

Multiple studies have shown the sooner an HIV-positive patient starts ARVs the healthier they are, and that they become non-infectious quicker, reducing the chance of the virus spreading. Boston University and University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) researchers looked at simplifying starting ARV treatment in Johannesburg in one group of patients, comparing the group with another that followed the usual process of multiple counselling sessions before treatment.

They did this because so many South Africans do not return for treatment after testing positive or only start ARVs when close to death. The researchers found that if patients are deterred from starting treatment by the complexity of the process, then one strategy for reducing loss of patients may be to shorten the time period, reduce the number of visits and simplify the steps required. By doing this, researchers found that 36 percent more patients started treatment and 26 percent more achieved viral suppression. Last week, the Department of Health announced that from September, anyone who was HIV-positive would be started on treatment immediately.