BACK ON TRACK

every year,” Bloom said.

He said extra efforts should be made to trace those who have defaulted on their medicine as well as distribute medicines through additional venues so collection was easier at this time.

Professor Glenda Davison, head of the Biomedical Sciences Department at Cape Peninsula University of Technology and honorary senior lecturer at the University of Cape Town, said this was worrying as it could have devastating effects.

“That could have consequences (because) if patients don’t stay on their ARV treatment their CD4 (white blood cells) counts will slowly drop and they will become immuno-compromised.

“That not only predisposes them to Covid-19, but other infections as well,” she said.

South Africa has the biggest HIV epidemic in the world, with 7.7 million people living with HIV, with Davison stressing the need to tread cautiously.

She said that SA might have the opportunity to provide the rest of the world with knowledge in the area of how HIV and Covid-19 interact. “There is very little information on HIV and Covid-19, and the studies which have been published are on very small numbers of patients.”

She said evidence suggest that patients on anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment were not more at risk of contracting Covid-19. The concern was the HIV-positive individuals not on treatment, who have low CD4 counts and other co-morbidities such as diabetes and hypertension. “This group is probably immuno-compromised and are at higher risk of both infection and a more severe clinical course.”

She added that SA had a very high rate of obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. “In these disorders the immune system is abnormal and dysfunctional.”

–