Revisions have been made to the latest version of guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of HIV/AIDS, with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommending earlier treatment.
People with HIV-negative sexual partners are advised to begin treatment regardless of their cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4) count.
The fourth version of the Ministry of Health and Welfare guidelines recommends an earlier starting point for HIV treatment for HIV-positive people at a CD4 T-cell count of 500 or less, or 500 T-cells or less per cubic millimeter of blood, according to the Taiwan AIDS Society.
Studies have shown that starting the antiretroviral therapy at a CD4 count of between 350 and 500 reduces the incidence of opportunistic infections and lowers the death rate in HIV-positive patients, the society said, adding that the WHO raised the treatment bar in June from a CD4 count of 350 to 500, and 90 percent of the countries in the world have since adopted the new guideline.
Another revision to the guidelines recommends that HIV treatment be provided to HIV-positive people who might transmit the virus to their sexual partners, regardless of CD4 count.
Alison Hsiao
Taipei Times
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