Higher treatment adherence in Africa

A higher rate of adherence to antiretroviral (ART) drugs has been found in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Research printed in the Public Library of Science (PLoS) and led by Harvard University has found that HIV/Aids patients in Africa are more likely than those in the US to adhere to an antiretroviral course of treatment.

Interviews with 252 patients and carers in Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda found that despite economic obstacles ART adherence was strong at almost 90 per cent.

The team suggests that this "dispels early scale-up concerns that adherence would be inadequate in settings of extreme poverty" concluding that successful adherence rates can be linked to social responsibility.

Taking a regular course of medication was found to protect stability and relationships, which Africans rely on more than economic factors.

Strategies used to maintain adherence included making sacrifices to afford treatment and working together to raise funds to cover the cost of travel to medical appointments and clinics.

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