Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date. My brother in-law was just diagnosed w/ full blown AIDS. The doctors estimate he has been ill with it for approximately 10yrs and is 25 years old. He went to the hospital for a cough that he could not get rid of, and because of fatigue and unexplained weight loss. He lives in Indonesia has no funds to pay for his medication or his hospital care. While he was in the hospital they had him on ARV. He is currently 6'1" and 47kg w/pneumonia, lesions, and what appears to be kidney failure. He is at home w/ his wife and two kids(2 1/2yrs and 5mos) and no one has been tested. They were told the baby was too young to test --is that true?
Dear Sir,
I am very sorry to hear of your brother's situation. There is no way of knowing when he was infected, but it probably was a few years ago. Obviously, antiretroviral therapy is needed, in the long term. Still, if he is able to recover from pneumonia, and gain some weight back, he may be surprisingly stable. I would still try to get HIV drugs, if you can find any way to do that.
Yes, the family should all be tested. Both children are old enough to be tested from a medical point of view. Given the difficulty of the circumstances, perhaps the doctors don't wish to give the family additional stress right now.
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