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HIV Viral Load Monitoring in Resource-Limited Regions: Optional or Necessary?

Calmy, Alexandra ; Ford, Nathan ; Hirschel, Bernard ; Reynolds, Steven J. ; Lynen, Lut ; Goemaere, Eric ; de la Vega, Felipe Garcia ; Perrin, Luc ; Rodriguez, William

In: Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2007, vol. 44, no. 1, p. 128-134

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    Titre
    • HIV Viral Load Monitoring in Resource-Limited Regions: Optional or Necessary?
    Auteur
    • Calmy, Alexandra. Médecins sans Frontières, Access to Medicines Campaign, Geneva, Switzerland
    • Ford, Nathan. Médecins Sans Frontières, Bangkok, Thailand
    • Hirschel, Bernard. Department of Infectious Diseases/HIV, Geneva, Switzerland
    • Reynolds, Steven J.. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease International Center of Excellence in Research, Kampala, Uganda
    • Lynen, Lut. HIV/STD Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
    • Goemaere, Eric. Médecins Sans Frontières, Khayelitsha, South Africa
    • de la Vega, Felipe Garcia. Médecins sans Frontières, Access to Medicines Campaign, Geneva, Switzerland
    • Perrin, Luc. Laboratory of Virology, Division of Infectious Diseases, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland
    • Rodriguez, William. Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative, Boston, Massachusetts
    Type de document
    • Postprint
    Langue
    • Anglais
    Publié dans
    • Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2007, vol. 44, no. 1, p. 128-134. The University of Chicago Press
    Autre version électronique
    Classification
    • Santé
    Identifiant OAI-PMH
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:300762
    Summary
    Although it is a standard practice in high-income countries, determination of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) load is not recommended in developing countries because of the costs and technical constraints. As more and more countries establish capacity to provide second-line therapy, and as costs and technological constraints associated with viral load testing decrease, the question of whether determination of the viral load is necessary deserves attention. Viral load testing could increase in importance as a guide for clinical decisions on when to switch to second-line treatment and on how to optimize the duration of the first-line treatment regimen. In addition, the viral load is a particularly useful tool for monitoring adherence to treatment, performing sentinel surveillance, and diagnosing HIV infection in children aged <18 months. Rather than considering viral load data to be an unaffordable luxury, efforts should be made to ensure that viral load testing becomes affordable, simple, and easy to use in resource-limited settings