HIV treatment at home could cut African Aids deaths

New research has revealed that treating people in their homes with HIV drug cocktails could help cut the rate of Aids-related deaths, particularly in poor and rural parts of Africa.

A team from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted their study after hiring local health workers in a part of rural Uganda, teaching them skills such as administering the drugs and conducting HIV tests.

The study, which began in 2001, saw a 90 per cent cut in the number of Aids deaths, the BBC reports.

Writing in the Lancet, researcher Jonathan Mermin said: "These results were achieved even though no routine clinic visits were scheduled after initial enrolment, and home visits were provided by trained lay providers.”

The report added: "Wide provision of antiretroviral treatment and care in sub-Saharan Africa could have a profound effect on prevention of mortality in people with HIV, improve the health and longevity of their children, and reduce the rate of orphanhood."

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