A Christian Aid study reveals that poor nutrition can cause HIV treatments to fail.
The special report, entitled Don’t Take on an Empty Stomach: Why HIV Treatment Won’t Work without Food, has been launched to mark World AIDS Day 2007.
Download our report (180 kb PDF)
Treatment for HIV exists. It is called antiretroviral therapy (ART) and involves the use of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs). With ART patients can lead normal, productive lives. But treatment can fail. It is thought that only 60% of patients using ART in sub-Saharan Africa are still taking their medication after two years.
For ART to work, a patient must continue it for life. Failure to do so means the virus starts to replicate; worse, it may mutate in a way that causes a resistant strain of HIV to develop – one that is unaffected by drugs.
Recent research confirms the experience of Christian Aid partners around the world, particularly in the poorest countries - that poor nutrition is a leading cause of treatment failure.
Some ART drugs have to be taken with food, making an adequate diet essential for patients. Other patients report increased side-effects if they don’t have enough food. This can affect whether medicines are taken correctly. If they aren’t taken correctly, the chances of patients sticking to their drug regimens are greatly reduced.
It is important for non-governmental organisations to include nutrition in HIV treatment and care programmes. Just as important is advocacy to continue the pressure to have nutrition included in ART programmes.
The report also calls for further research on what the WHO has called 'the myriad potential intersections between nutritional status and prevention, care and treatment of HIV'.
If you would like to make a donation to Christian Aid’s work against the HIV pandemic, please click on the ‘give’ button on the right. Your donation will help support work that is essential. 33 million people in the world have HIV. With the right treatment, they don’t have to die.
HIV at glance
There are 33 million people living with HIV in the world
In 2005, G8 leaders agreed on providing universal access to ART by 2010
At current rates of progress this target will not be met
Recent studies show average adherence of only 60% in sub-Saharan Africa.
To improve adherence to treatment, ART must be:
Without addressing nutrition, serious long-term issues will arise:
Resistance will develop, rendering medicines ineffective
More people will get sick and die as a result of HIV
Resistant HIV will spread, and some drugs will become useless
Treatment programmes will become completely unaffordable to many countries.