Page 4 - Nursing Matters June 2021 Vol 12

Message from the
HIV NURSING
MATTERS president

The Team

President
Prof. Yunus Moosa

Editorial Advisory Board
Dr Elizabeth Mokoka
Ms Nelouise Geyer Prof. Yunus Moosa
Ms Talitha Crowley President: Southern African HIV
Dr Julia Turner Clinicians Society

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E-mail: [email protected] Since the commencement of This has meant that in many cases drug
Tel: +27 (0) 11 728 7365 efforts towards Universal Access to level factors have been overlooked
Antiretrovirals in South Africa starting and persistent low-level viraemia has
Article/Letter submission in 2004, the definition of virological eventually translated into virological
E-mail: [email protected] suppression has been subject to some failure. The ITREMA study advocates for
Tel: +27 (0) 11 728 7365 debate. This is not surprising. Advances drug testing early on and more frequent
in drugs, public health interventions, viral load testing to accelerate cases
For more information policy evolution, political dynamics and that qualify for second line treatment.
SA HIV Clinicians Society behavioral shifts in the community and This will assist HCWs to more effectively
Suite 233 Post Net Killarney patient populations, all contribute to isolate behavioural factors for focused
Private Bag X2600 new and emerging ideas on treatment adherence support. See de Vries et al.’s
Houghton effectiveness. article on pg. 8. Special thanks go to
2041 the Utrecht Medical school, under Prof
www.sahivsoc.org This edition of HIV Nursing Matters Anne Marie Wensing’s leadership, for
provides some fascinating insights including SAHCS in the ITREMA grant
Tel: +27 (0) 11 728 7365 into the evolving thinking on viral and allowing us to educate HCWs on
Fax: +27 (0) 11 728 1251 load and virological suppression. low-level viraemia.
E-mail: [email protected]
More specifically, this edition supports
emerging findings on the value of Bosch and Baskar (pg. 4) advocate
The opinions expressed are the
opinions of the writers and do not utilising viral load results more effectively for accelerating the use of dolutegravir
necessarily portray the opinion of the and supporting healthcare workers (DTG) in first line treatment for its high
Editorial Staff of HIV Nursing Matters to pursue treatment strategies that barrier to resistance and muted side
or the Southern African HIV Clinicians accelerate virological suppression. See effects. The recent shift to DTG-containing
Society. The Society does not accept Nel’s summary of the Southern African combinations will ensure that the value of
any responsibility for claims made in HIV Clinicians Society (SAHCS) Adult an early viral load test in newly initiated
advertisements. Anti-retroviral Therapy (ART) 2020 patients will be realised.
guidelines recommendations on viral
All rights reserved. No part of this load and resistance on pg. 28. Furthermore, in a second article, Bosch
publication may be reproduced in any & Baskar (pg. 12) interrogate the
form without prior consent from the Editor. This edition is timely as we advocate commonly held belief that DTG may
for South Africa’s adoption of the increase metabolic risks by the proxy
Undetectable=Untransmissible (U=U) indicator of weight gain. They argue
global campaign. Read Dukashe’s that metabolic side effects are far less
article on U=U on pg. 23. reported than is believed and that the
benefits of DTG may outweigh any
The ITREMA study has angled the risks of weight gain unless a patient
spotlight on the risk of virological actually presents with a new metabolic
failure when low-level viraemia persists. condition post-switching. It goes without
Only recently has the South African saying, the notion of weight is culturally
National Department of Health revised complex and must also be considered
its definition of viral suppression from with the patient in mind, including both
<1000 copies/mL to <50 copies/mL. achieving timely virological suppression