Opinion Paper

When to start ART in adults? The results of HPTN 052 move us closer to a test-and-treat policy

Nathan Geffen
Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine | Vol 12, No 3 | a178 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/sajhivmed.v12i3.178 | © 2011 Nathan Geffen | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 15 December 2011 | Published: 30 September 2011

About the author(s)

Nathan Geffen, Treatment Action Campaign, South Africa

Abstract

When is the best time to initiate antiretroviral therapy (ART) in adults? This is a vital question in HIV treatment and prevention services. More specifically, is the 350 cells/µl CD4 count threshold recommended by current World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines sufficient, or should we move to a ‘test-and-treat’ approach in which anyone who tests HIV-positive is offered ART, irrespective of their CD4 count? The recently announced results of the HPTN 052 trial take us closer, but not all the way, to a test-and-treat approach.

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