Adherence

Perfect adherence to dosing of HAART for one year led to a viral load undetectability rate of 85% (limit of detection 50 copies/mL) to 100% (limit of detection 400 copies/mL), according to Margaret Fischl, MD, of the University of Miami. All 48 incarcerated, HIV positive persons were required to take every dose under direct observation by personnel at the jail. The HAART regimen included one PI and two NNRTIs. The results underscore the importance of dosing adherence.

International HIV/AIDS

A low-cost plan might slow progression to AIDS in resource-poor countries, according to D. Wolday, MD, of the Armauer Hansen Research Institute in Ethiopia. Dr. Wolday has found that treating intestinal parasites ("deworming") in persons with HIV infection lowered their HIV viral loads. A lower viral load is associated with slower HIV disease progression in the longer term, even though there were no significant differences in CD4 cell counts after six months in this study. Intestinal parasites are very common in many resource-poor countries.