A recent study from Philadelphia, has found that 1 in 4 people do not stick to their HIV regimen. Only 75% of people given regimens to follow actually do so. Be careful here, there may be many reasons for this.
- Capability to access the meds at all, HIV assistance programs can be difficult to locate & navigate & many of them have lengthy waiting list
- Understanding of the importance to remain on the meds
- Tolerance of the meds
- Ability to maintain access to said meds
- Inability to access adequate care, Physician, Labs, Pharmacy
- Unwillingness to adhere to the plan
Only one of those is a willful act. But the results of all these points are the same. The HIV will progress & the possibility for transmission remains high. Beyond that, there are meds that can be harmful to the person if they stop/start them. HIV can become resistant to meds & then the HIV carried by this person could be even more dangerous due to difficulty to treat if transmitted to others.
HIV is not a disease that can be ignored, if infected it will progress in the person's system. If ignored by the person it can lead to their death & transmission of the virus to others. If ignored by the state & other institutions, any headway made in fighting this illness could be lost.
It is incredibly important that people be given every possible chance to adhere to their programs. Unfortunately, for many that just isn't possible. They simply do not have the means to do so. Any person living with untreated HIV is at risk to their own health & possibly the health of others they interact with on an intimate level. It's past time we make sure + people have access to the treatment they need.
Cya
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