PARIS: The use of a home-based anti- retroviral treatment could significantly reduce mortality among adults with HIV in poor nations, especially in Africa, according to a study released on Friday. Anti-retroviral treatment (ART) is the most effective clinical intervention for reducing the death rate of people with HIV, but those in developing nations — where 90 per cent of those infected live have limited access to the life- prolonging drugs.

The standard, triple-drug treatment is only available to about 10 per cent of those in need in sub-Saharan Africa, the international health officials said. Barriers to treatment include a lack of funds, the high cost of the medication, a shortage of trained health care providers, and long distances between clinics and patients.