The Kenya Medical Research Institute has stopped all HIV viral load testing to focus on the coronavirus. They will use the 8,800 HIV viral load machines and the GeneXpert normally used to test for tuberculosis. Among patients on antiretroviral therapy, HIV viral load is the most important marker of treatment response. A low viral load indicates that treatment is effective, while a high viral load in a person on treatment indicates either the medication is not being taken properly or the virus is becoming resistant to the medication. People living with HIV on Thursday pleaded with Kemri not to stop all the viral load tests.

Source: The Star April 10, 2020 02:15 UTC