Co-author Dr Ravindra Gupta, UCL Infection and Immunity
Drug-resistant HIV has been increasing in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa since the roll-out of antiretroviral therapy (ART) nearly a decade ago according to new research led by UCL and the World Health Organization (WHO). "Without continued and increased national and international efforts, rising HIV drug resistance could jeopardize a decade-long trend of decreasing HIV/AIDS-related illness and death in low- and middle-income countries", warn Ravindra Gupta, UCL Infection and Immunity, and Silvia Bertagnolio from the WHO, who led the research. "Nevertheless, estimated levels, although increasing, are not unexpected in view of the large expansion of antiretroviral treatment coverage seen in low-income and middle-income countries. In 2011, about 8 million people in these countries received ART, a figure 26 times greater than the number in 2003." The study, published in The Lancet today, is the first to systematically assess the prevalence of HIV drug resistance in low-income and middle-income countries, where over 90% of people with HIV live and 97% of new infections worldwide are to be found. After searching systematically for studies over the past 10 years containing data on HIV drug resistance in untreated adults, and using data from the WHO HIV drug resistance surveillance programme, the researchers identified 162 reports and 27 unpublished datasets including over 26 000 individuals (aged 15 years or older) from sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America. They estimated levels and changes in the prevalence of HIV-1 drug resistance since the scale-up of ART.
TO READ THIS ARTICLE, CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT
And extend your reading, free of charge and with no commitment.
