a CD4 count over 150 took the twice-daily regime. There was on average
a twelve-fold drop in viral load, though the combination only had a modest
effect on CD4 count.
Nigeria: cheap drugs, poor uptake
A cheap HIV drug treatment scheme finally began in April in Nigeria -
but, so far, has had a poor response from the nation's three million infected
people. Under the scheme, 15,000 people can receive a cocktail of drugs
for just £6.80. However, only 800 patients have registered for the
treatment. Some activists blamed the low response on HIV stigma. Others,
however, pointed out that the £35 cost of the initial tests, in
a country where the average monthly wage is £20, is discouraging
people from joining the programme.
Late presenters at risk
Over a third of people diagnosed with HIV in the US are 'late presenters'
- they have CD4 counts below 200 and are thus at immediate risk of an
Aids-related illness, says a report in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.
Another Australian study has found that Aids-defining tuberculosis, PCP
and Aids dementia are just as common among late presenters in the era
of HIV combination therapy as they were before the drugs became available.
Herb warning
The World Health Organisation (WHO) last month urged its member countries
to regulate the use of herbal medicines to make the safer and more accessible
to
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patients. Jonathan Quick, director of WHO's drugs and medicines policy,
