Final Facilitator Guide - EngenderHealth

Section 3Case Study #3Anand, a person living with HIV who discontinuedtreatment and then restartedFacilitator’s Guide2Anand was diagnosed as being positive in 1994. Three yearslater he began to take an ART drug, which was being importedby the NGO that he was working for. This was done with noadvice from a doctor and no understanding of ART. WhenAnand stopped working with the NGO, he stopped taking themedicine because he found it too expensive in the open market.Adherence to Treatment for HIVLater he began experiencing a lot of infections and lost a lotof weight. He went to a doctor and found that his CD4 countwas 40. The doctor put him on a 3-drug combination. Aftersix months, his CD4 count had increased and he began to feelbetter; he decided to stop the ART on his own as he foundit expensive and difficult to monitor due to the fact that helives alone and travels a lot.A couple of months later Anand suffered severe headacheand was diagnosed with Cryptococcal Meningitis in a privatehospital. Soon after, he resumed his ART, but he still misseshis doses. The doctor has recommended second-line treatmentto fight his ART resistance; however, he does not have theresources to afford that.Discussion Questions• What were the main reasons for Anand stoppinghis treatment?• What could have been done in order to preventthis from happening?50