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. 2019 Mar 20;5(1):e11136.
doi: 10.2196/11136.

The Continuing Value of CD4 Cell Count Monitoring for Differential HIV Care and Surveillance

Brian Rice  1 , Andrew Boulle  2 , Sandra Schwarcz  3 , Amir Shroufi  4 , George Rutherford  3 , James Hargreaves  1
Affiliations

The Continuing Value of CD4 Cell Count Monitoring for Differential HIV Care and Surveillance

Brian Rice et al. JMIR Public Health Surveill. .

Abstract

The move toward universal provision of antiretroviral therapy and the expansion of HIV viral load monitoring call into question the ongoing value of CD4 cell count testing and monitoring. We highlight the role CD4 monitoring continues to have in guiding clinical decisions and measuring and evaluating the epidemiology of HIV. To end the HIV/AIDS epidemic, we require strategic information, which includes CD4 cell counts, to make informed clinical decisions and effectively monitor key surveillance indicators.

Keywords: CD4; HIV; antiretroviral therapy; differential care; monitoring; surveillance.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
ART initiations in Eshowe and Mbongolwane, KwaZulu-Natal, stratified by CD4 count, 2011 to 2017. CD4 counts are measured as CD4 cells/µL. Q1 was from January to end March 2017. ART: antiretroviral therapy.
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