The World Health Organisation (WHO) has published revised HIV guidelines recommending that anyone who tests positive for the virus that causes AIDS should be treated immediately.
The U.N. health agency had previously advised that doctors should wait to treat people with HIV until their immune systems suggested they were getting sick.
This comes in the wake of new British HIV Association (BHIVA) treatment guidelines which now recommend that everyone with HIV who is prepared to take antiretroviral treatment should receive it, regardless of CD4 cell count.
Dr Michael Brady, Terrence Higgins Trust Medical Director, said: “There is now clear evidence of the benefits of starting HIV therapy as early as possible. Effective treatment not only maximises the individual’s health but also prevents transmission to others.
“The new BHIVA guidelines are a reminder of the importance of improving our HIV testing rates. One in four people living with HIV remain undiagnosed and therefore not able to access the benefits of treatment. Our new treatment guidelines mean that every case of undiagnosed HIV is already a late diagnosis”
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