Resource Type: Journal Article
Authors: Heather Cogswell, Elizabeth Ohadi & Carlos Avila
Published: December 18, 2015

Resource Description:

Ending the AIDS epidemic requires not only political commitment and financial resources but also innovative solutions. New point-of-care (POC) technology to detect HIV viral load promises to be a game changer in the diagnosis and monitoring of HIV infection. Poverty and distance from healthcare facilities often place people infected with HIV beyond the reach of life-saving care. Viral-load POC testing brings diagnosis and monitoring of antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatment closer to the patient – even in remote regions of sub-Saharan Africa where HIV prevalence is high and resources are scarce – which means more rapid results and potentially improved treatment and prevention outcomes.