How to combat the threat of HIV drug resistance

2016/8/11 19:32:34

As we strive for an Aids-free generation, we must help people adhere to antiretroviral treatment to stop them developing resistance

 

Photo: A mother holds her antiretroviral drugs, Triomune, at a HIV testing and treatment clinic in Lagos, Nigeria. Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

 


By Steven Hong, Assistant professor - public health and community medicine, Tufts University, for the Guardian (UK), Aug 11, 2016:

 

For people living with HIV, antiretroviral treatment (ART) has been a life-saver. ART stops HIV from making copies of itself and prevents HIV from attacking the body’s immune system.

 

At the end of 2015, 17 million people were taking ART around the world and Aids-related deaths had fallen by 45% since the peak in 2005.

 

But those who don’t stick to the ART regimen set out by their doctor or health worker might become resistant to the drugs. Resistance occurs when ART regimens are not taken as prescribed, which allows HIV to make copies of itself and increases the risk that the virus will mutate and produce drug-resistant HIV. A person who is on a drug such as Efavirenz can develop resistance after as little as a two-day interruption of treatment.

 

Globally, HIV drug resistance is on the rise. The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that up to 2010, HIV drug resistance levels remained at 7% in developing countries. However, recently, some countries have reported levels at or above 10% among those starting ART, and up to 40% among people restarting ART.

 

The time to act is now. If we don’t, we may find ourselves with a new global pandemic of drug-resistant HIV.

 

[Editor’s Note: While this article is directed toward sub-Saharan Africa, the same principles apply worldwide. Ukraine has made considerable progress but needs to continue pushing for wider and more consistent ART use. Russia has taken a much less advanced attitude toward HIV/AIDS and is suffering explosive growth of the infection, particularly in Russian-occupied Crimea.

 

For complete text of the article, link below:

https://www.theguardian.com/global-dev ... ance-aids-free-generation

 

 

 

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