Benefits of HIV medicines far outweigh side effects

A FEW days ago, I read a report in a local daily about a HIV positive patient’s health regime without medication. I would like to point out that anti-retroviral therapy (ART) is the gold standard for HIV treatment recommended by international agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the US Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

While ART does not cure HIV infection, it provides people with HIV the opportunity to lead long and healthy lives. Globally, according to WHO estimates, 21.7 million out of 36.9 million people living with HIV in 2017 were receiving ART. This resulted in a 35% decline in the number of deaths due to HIV.