Viral Load and Combination Therapy for Human Immunodeficiency Virus

To the Editor: In their editorial, Corey and Holmes (Oct. 10 issue) 1 state, “All persons with HIV [human immunodeficiency virus] infection who have CD4 cell counts below 500 cells per cubic millimeter should be encouraged to begin antiretroviral therapy.” Such an early instigation of therapy is in line with the current understanding of HIV infection and experience with other infectious diseases, but we do not yet know whether we have good enough therapies — those that have negligible long-term risks and do not jeopardize the efficacy of future therapies the patient may be given — to say that this statement . . .