Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is an infection that attacks the body’s immune system, particularly white blood cells called CD4 cells. HIV destroys these CD4 cells, thereby weakening a person’s immunity to opportunistic infections, such as tuberculosis and fungal infections, serious bacterial infections, and some cancers.
WHO recommends that everyone who may be at risk of contracting HIV should have access to testing. People at increased risk of contracting HIV should seek comprehensive and effective HIV prevention, testing and treatment services. HIV infection can be diagnosed using rapid, simple and affordable diagnostic tests, as well as self-tests. It is important that HIV testing services follow the 5Cs: consent, confidentiality, counseling, correct results and linkage to treatment and other services.
People diagnosed with HIV should be offered and linked to antiretroviral treatment (ART) as soon as possible after diagnosis and monitored periodically using clinical and laboratory parameters, including the test for measuring the virus in the blood (viral load). If ART is taken regularly, this treatment prevents HIV transmission to others.
At the time of diagnosis or shortly after starting ART, a CD4 cell count should be checked to assess a person’s immune status. The CD4 cell count is a blood test used to assess HIV disease progression, including the risk of developing disease. opportunistic infections and guides the use of preventive treatment. The normal range for CD4 count is 500 to 1,500 cells/mm3 of blood, and it gradually decreases over time in people who do not receive or respond well to ART. If a person’s CD4 cell count falls below 200, their immunity is severely compromised, making them vulnerable to infection and death. A person with a CD4 count below 200 is described as having advanced HIV disease (AHD).
HIV viral load measures the amount of virus in the blood. This test is used to monitor the level of viral replication and the effectiveness of ART. The goal of treatment is to reduce the viral load in the blood to undetectable levels (less than 50 copies/ml), and the persistent presence of a detectable viral load (greater than 1,000 copies/ml) in people living with HIV on ART is an indicator. inadequate response to treatment and the need to modify or adjust the treatment regimen.
WHO 2022-2030 global health sector strategy on HIV aims to reduce HIV infections from 1.5 million in 2020 to 335,000 by 2030, and deaths from 680,000 in 2020 to fewer than 240,000 in 2030.
