It seems to be a pretty simple concept. If you have a problem, and the means to fix it, you do just that- fix it. Turns out the exact opposite is occurring in South Africa, where over half of HIV patients who are diagnosed with HIV and with a CD4 count below the level for treatment, disappear and do not seek treatment until it is almost too late. Although South Africa is among the world’s leaders in antiretroviral (ARV) programs, serving over a million patients, this large and critically important population of newly diagnosed patients remains neglected. These patients have a CD4 count of more than 200 and are not eligible to receive the treatments offered at these programs, but do have a number of other drugs accessible to them. The CD4 count reflects the integrity of a person’s immune system, and only a third of patients diagnosed meet the criteria to receive treatment. A trend that was found amongst this population showed that most of these patients were in the young male demographic.
Obviously, the consequences of this behavior pattern does not go unnoticed. It was shown that “among patients who remained in clinic’s outpatient care, the majority returned only once for CD4 monitoring” and their CD4 levels decreased faster than those who remained in contact. The higher the CD4 count, the less likely they were to monitor their levels. In a country, and continent, where so much is being done to raise awareness of HIV and prevention of the spread of the virus, it is disheartening to hear that this crucial population is not being looked after. As this group will most probably be the next to need the treatments offered in these programs, it would be ideal to decrease the potential number of incoming patients. In this way, efforts can eventually be moved onto focus on continued prevention, awareness, and education.
A number of reasons can attribute to why this group of individuals disappears. Richard Lessels, a main author on the research, said “the limited medical services available to pre-ARV patients may be partly to blame.” Needless to say, the stigmas that go along with the virus can also prevent a person from enrolling in a program, especially if their CD4 count is explained to them in a way that made it appear that it was not at a critical level. The mindset that ‘I can continue to live my life the way I would like to for a little longer’ could also be a factor.
It is a sad reality that this demographic exists, however the goal of making this demographic disappear, in regards to eliminating the spread of HIV and neglecting infected populations, is an attainable one.
“HIV Patients Go Missing Before Treatment.” AllAfrica.com: Home. 18 Feb. 2011. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. <http://allafrica.com/stories/201102210247.html>.
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