Ugandans told to ignore false info on HIV cure

By Vision Reporter

Ugandans have been warned against misleading information about HIV cure.

“There is still no cure for HIV. The Uganda AIDS Commission appeals to Ugandans to get tested and know your status. 
Seek advice and care from a health facility. Start and continue treatment for life. 

"Stopping treatment causes adverse effects such as drug resistance,” Uganda ADIS Commission, (UAC) said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

The warning follows recent reports about a baby who was alleged to have been ‘functionally cured’ of HIV disease with the use of very early antiretroviral therapy.

 UAC is concerned that the reports caused excitement, “but this is largely misleading and not factual.”

“Similarly, assertions by some French researchers that eight adult patients who also started a course of antiretroviral therapy soon after infection, subsequently stopped treatment and yet maintained undetectable viral loads for at least four years after stopping therapy is also misleading,” the statement added.

Uganda strictly follows guidelines set by the World Health Organization (WHO) which recommend starting antiretroviral treatment for patients whose CD4 count is 350 cells or less.  

Usually, an HIV infection in Uganda is detected after many months following first infection, and this is when treatment starts for life.  

The reinvigorated HIV Prevention drive led by Uganda AIDS Commission aims to reduce new HIV infections in Uganda to zero by 2015 from about 145,000 infected people in 2011. 

Activists and health experts insist that stopping new infections is achievable only if you get tested and know your status.