Halting Opportunistic Infections

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The 20th 'Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections' (CROI), which runs from the 3rd to the 6th of March 2013 in Atlanta, will bring the complexities of living with HIV into focus. Varied research will be presented; including presentations on both the emerging health challenges facing people who are living longer with HIV, alongside those looking at AIDS-related, or opportunistic infections.

Without antiretroviral treatment, HIV infects and kills the cells responsible for keeping us healthy – white blood cells – and instead makes more copies of itself, that go on to weaken the immune system further. People with a weakened immune system are less able to fight infections and are more likely to acquire infections. When people with HIV receive treatment for an opportunistic infection they can take much longer to recover. Some infections can spread to a number of different organs and can be fatal.

Generally, among people living with HIV, those who are most likely to be affected by opportunistic infections are not taking or adhering to antiretroviral treatment, or individuals who are experiencing drug-resistance. Whilst opportunistic infections have become less common among people living in high-income countries, as a result of greater access to treatment, they remain common among the 7 million people living with HIV, who are without life-saving HIV treatment.

Infections can range from fungal infections, such as, Candidiasis to more complex and life-threatening bacterial infections, such as, Tuberculosis. It is important to remember, however, that whilst people with HIV may have an increased risk of getting an opportunistic infection, anyone can become infected with such infections.

Parasites, fungus, bacteria, viruses and sandflies are some of the causes of opportunistic infections. These can result in severe discomfort, pain and distress among those infected - but many are preventable and treatable. Prevention tips include being careful around uncooked meat, domestic animals, human excrement and lake or river water. Getting yourself and/or people you live with vaccinated against certain opportunistic infections is really important if you are living with HIV.

Taking antiretrovirals and living a healthy lifestyle can help strengthen your immune system and go a long way towards reducing your risk of opportunistic infections. Read more about prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections.