HIV Treatment in Developing Countries

Abstract

Diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic advances have had a major impact on HIV at both the individual and community levels in wealthy nations. However, more than 95% of HIV infections occur in developing countries, where personal or national economies cannot support these measures. Therefore, HIV treatment in developing countries must focus on particular aspects of infection, especially prevention and treatment of those opportunistic infections for which inexpensive antimicrobial agents are available and effective. At present, the focus in developing countries is on tuberculosis, Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), and pneumococcal pneumonia. The spread of antimicrobial resistance in mycobacteria and pneumococci is of special concern for developing countries, and strategies to limit the spread of resistance should take high priority. The use of specific antiretroviral agents is limited, because of cost, to prevention of mother-to-child transmission, and notable successes have been achieved. While it is unlikely that these agents will become widely available to the general population, targeting treatment at high-risk groups, through a program of post-exposure prophylaxis, may be an affordable strategy in some situations.