Antiretroviral Therapy Outcomes in Malawi: Access, Mortality and Opportunistic Infections

Malawi is a sub-Saharan nation with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevalence of 12% and the largest proportion of those infected beings between the ages 15-49 years. In Malawi, HIV is not only a health problem but a socioeconomic one; the impact of which is being felt at family, community and national level. The fight against HIV is led by the National AIDS Commission, mandated to coordinate a multisectorial approach to combat HIV/AIDS. In 2003, the Malawi government launched a program to scale up access to free antiretroviral therapy. Evidence of outcomes of this program has been collected. This article reviews the studies that have looked at the outcomes.