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Opportunistic Infections
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Send to friendMany individuals living with HIV/AIDS acquire diseases that also affect otherwise healthy individuals. However, HIV-infected individuals may have a more severe disease course or may develop symptoms that uninfected individuals do not. Opportunistic infections are infections (OIs) caused by organisms that in a normal host do not cause disease.
With good ARV therapy adherence, improved CD4 cell count, and undetectable levels of viral load, most opportunistic infections remain under control. HAART (ARV therapy) is part of clinical management for some of the opportunistic infections. Different types of OIs and their treatment are provided in the 2008 National HIV/AIDS Treatment Guidelines.
Some of the Opportunistic Infections and other HIV related conditions in Botswana are:
- TB
- Kaposi ’s sarcoma
- Cryptococcal Meningitis
- Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV)
- Varicella-Zoster Virus (VZV)
- Cytomegalovirus Retinitis (CMV)
- Mucocutaneous Candidiasis/Oral Candidiasis
- Pneumocystis Jiroveci Pneumonia (formerly pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, PCP):
- Lymphoid Interstitial Pneumonitis (LIP)