ARV defaulters put their partners at risk
ON THE eve of South Africa’s national Aids conference in Durban this week, Health-e News has found people are defaulting on their ARVs and posing a risk to others.
Health care workers are discovering that HIV patients on treatment sometimes stop taking medication, believing they have been healed – despite being educated that the disease is incurable.
The issue relates to the “undetectable viral load” diagnosis patients receive when their antiretroviral therapy starts working and causes the amount of virus in their blood to drop to an extremely low level.
The confusion has arisen because of a misunderstanding of what an “undetectable viral load” means. People who hear this result when they go for testing are quick to jump to the wrong conclusion.
A recent snap survey carried out by Health-e News in a rural community in Mpumalanga found that when asked what the words “undetectable virus load” meant, all the respondents said it meant they no longer have HIV.
Sam Vilakazi, a patient from Mbombela, had blood taken for his CD4 count to be measured.
When the results came back with an undetectable viral load, he assumed he was no longer infected and stopped taking his treatment.
“At first things were fine. And then I started drinking again, smoking and having sex without a condom. Even though my partner told me it was impossible for me to be HIV-negative, I ignored her because I thought she was jealous that my virus was gone,” Vilakazi said.
“After months of not taking treatment, things went from good to bad. I became seriously ill.
“When I returned to the clinic I was told that I should not have stopped taking my treatment,” said Vilakazi.
According to nursing sister Dumisile Shabangu, when a patient has an undetectable viral load, it doesn’t mean the HIV-virus is no longer inside their body.
It just means that their medication is working and that the amount of virus particles has dropped so low that they cannot be counted.
“For most tests used clinically today, this means fewer than 50 particles of HIV per millilitre of blood.
“An undetectable viral load means a person is about 96% less likely to transmit the disease,” Shabangu said.
Lay counsellor Zodwa Mbokani said: “My advice to all people with HIV, and who are on treatment, is to always ask questions and never, ever decide to stop taking medication without your nurse and lay counsellor knowing.
“The most important thing you must know is that once you start ART, there is no turning back.
“Even though we are aware that there is no cure for HIV, we feel a decision to stop treatment is rational because we have been praying to live lives swithout HIV,” explained Thandeka Bhengu.
Health care workers believe there is a lack of information on HIV as well as how the treatment works.
The 8th SA Aids Conference is taking place at Durban’s ICC and end on Friday. – Health-e News.