October 16, 2007

Boston Researchers Find Treatment Interruptions in Africa

More than a third of HIV-positive African patients receiving antiretroviral medications stop their treatment within two years of starting it, according to a new study from researchers at Boston University (voanews.com, 10/16).

The researchers followed HIV-positive people receiving meds in 13 sub-Saharan African countries over the course of seven years. They found that after two years, only 61 percent of patients were still receiving treatment.

Christopher Gill, an infectious diseases specialist and coauthor of the study, says that the study raises concerns about the success of drug delivery programs in developing countries.

“...For whatever reason, these programs are unable to track patients who have started therapy,” says Gill, who says that patient migration, undocumented deaths and patients giving up treatment might be some of the reasons behind the drop in number of people still receiving treatment.