Health Care Systems of Malaysia

Malaysia is fortunate to have a very comprehensive range of the health services.

The Malaysian government is very much committed to its principles of a universal access to high-quality health care in which the local Ministry of Health offers thru wide varieties of nationwide networks of clinics and hospitals.

However, in spite of the dedication of the local government of Malaysia to provide the best possible health care, there are still some problems that are unsolved, and one of those is the unavailability of quality health care centers in remove areas.

When patients are transferred from a specific health center to a more probable hospital, doing so not only incurs some inconveniences on the part of the patient and the family, but also adds costs to the health care systems.

 In order to deal with the issue, a tool has been designed called the tele primary care.

This method helps the doctors on remote areas to discuss problem cases by tele-consultations with specialists and doctors on hospitals.

The Malaysian government is continually striving to make the healthcare system better but there is still a dearth of medical expertise in the country and their high concentration in the urban areas.

The current efforts in the past few years have certainly made developments for the health care system in Malaysia.

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HEALTH TEST EVERY WOMEN NEED

No matter your current health status, if you’re a woman, you’re going to need to undergo some standard testing regularly, to make sure that any changes in your health are identified early, when they can best be treated; undergoing regular health tests and screenings also makes sure you stay healthy if you already are.


There are several tests women should undergo regularly, both to prevent disease and catch diseases early enough that treatment can be provided to effect the best cure. Let’s take a look at the top ones.

Testing for a proper weight and body mass index

If you are overweight or obese, this can contribute to or even cause a number of other health factors in and of itself, so maintaining a normal weight is going to help you forestall or prevent health problems you might otherwise have. Ideally, most women should opt for a body mass index of under 25; your doctor can help you determine what your own best body mass index is. (In certain cases, very muscular or athletic women are going to have body mass indexes of over 25, but still will be perfectly healthy and of a good weight, so have your doctor help you determine what your own best body mass index should be based upon your own lifestyle and body type.)

Cholesterol

If you are age 45 or over, you should be getting your cholesterol checked regularly. If you have diabetes, if you have high blood pressure, if you smoke, or if you have heart disease, you should probably get your cholesterol checked earlier than that. This is a simple test that requires just a simple pinprick of blood.

High blood pressure

Known as the “silent killer,” high blood pressure is so deadly because it’s usually asymptomatic. Get your blood pressure checked regularly by your doctor and/or by going to one of many free locations available, such as your local pharmacy or drugstore.

Diabetes

You are at risk for diabetes if you are significantly overweight or obese. In addition, if you have high blood pressure or high cholesterol, you should also be tested for diabetes regularly. Caught early, type 2 diabetes may be able to be controlled with dietary changes and in some cases medications. If necessary, insulin injections can also be given to control blood sugar. (Type 1 diabetes is caused by the destruction of cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, and must always be controlled with insulin injections.) Left uncontrolled, though, diabetes is deadly.

Breast Cancer

Beginning at about age 40, you should have a mammogram every one to two years. If your family has a history of breast cancer, your doctor may advise you to take mammograms earlier. Breast self exams, too, may be used to check for lumps or any changes in breast tissue. Report any changes to your doctor to have them checked out further.

Cervical cancer

Between the ages of about 21 and 65, you should get a Pap smear every one to three years if you’ve ever been sexually active.

Colon cancer
Colon cancer is one of those cancers that can be completely cured with little to no discomfort if caught early. Doctors can remove precancerous lesions or polyps right away, and nothing further should need to be done. By contrast, colon cancer can be deadly if not caught early enough, and treatment is devastatingly unpleasant even if you can be cured. For most people, having regular screening tests after the age of 50 is enough, but if you have a history of colon cancer in your family, ask your doctor if you should start screening before that age.

Skin cancer
If you’re a so called “Ssun worshiper,” you are at particularly high risk for skin cancer. Make sure your doctor checks out any moles or spots you have at every checkup for changes, and report any changes you see. If a mole begins to bleed, itch or hurt, make sure you see your doctor right away. Caught early, skin cancer is one of the most curable types, but once it spreads, it can be difficult to cure and may even be deadly.

And to help prevent skin cancer, use sunscreen when you are out in the sun and avoid being a “sun worshiper.” If an appeal to vanity works for you, you should know that sun exposure also causes wrinkles and sagging skin at an early age, too. So stay out of the sun or use sunscreen to both look and feel better.

Depression

Not just something you can “snap out of,” depression is a major medical condition that can certainly impact your life negatively, and even threaten it. If you have depression, don’t simply ignore it. Talk to your doctor and seek treatment; in the vast majority of cases, depression can be treated with talk therapy and/or medication.

Sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV

If you are sexually active and nonmonogamous (or your partner is), make sure you get checked often for sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. Many sexually transmitted diseases are curable, and therapies for even incurable diseases like HIV have greatly improved. If you must be sexually active, and you and/or your partner are not monogamous, make sure you use barrier protection like condoms. This can at least help prevent the acquisition of sexually transmitted diseases, but will not entirely prevent it even so. Remember that the only safe sex is monogamous sex between two partners who are not infected with a sexually transmitted disease, or abstinence.

Osteoporosis

You can get osteoporosis if you’ve reached menopause, especially if you are at risk; osteoporosis is a thinning of the bones, and can occur more often in small boned women, women who smoke, and women with a family history of osteoporosis. Talk with your doctor about getting a bone density test if you are at risk or if you are approaching menopause. New medications on the market can help rebuild bone density even if you’ve already lost it. And if you’re not yet menopausal, you can help ensure bone health by doing weight-bearing exercise and following a good nutritious diet, including one that has enough vitamin D, calcium and magnesium.

SMOKING AND MENTAL HEALTH

The effects of smoking on physical health are well-documented—for example, oral and lung cancers, plus diseases of the respiratory system—but new research is shedding light on the effects of smoking and tobacco use on mental health.


One study, headed by Professor Mark Weiser of Tel Aviv University’s Department of Psychiatry, compared the IQs of more than 20,000 healthy 18- to 21-year-old males enlisted in the Israeli Army. This study, the largest of its kind, showed that the men who smoked scored about seven points lower on average than their nonsmoking peers. Especially interesting was the comparison between siblings where one smoked and the other did not. In most cases, the nonsmoking brother was found to have a higher IQ.

Although this study showed a connection between smoking and lower IQs, it did not show that smoking resulted in a lower IQ. However, research led by Debapriya Ghosh and Anirban Basu of the Indian National Brain Research Centre (NBRC) seems to indicate a distinct connection between smoking and brain damage. Their test results (both in vitro and in vivo) showed that NNK, a procarcinogen commonly found in tobacco, promotes an inflammatory condition of the brain and “inflicts subsequent neuronal damage.” The researchers suggest that NNK causes the brain’s immune cells (microglia) to attack healthy cells instead of damaged or unhealthy cells.

Such damage can be caused by tobacco, whether smoked or chewed. Even second-hand smoke carries NNK, which can cause nerve or brain damage.

The unborn are also affected by tobacco. Known long-term effects from exposure to maternal smoking include increased risk for ear infections, asthma and other respiratory diseases. But Finnish researcher Mikael Ekblad (of Turku University Hospital in Finland) and his colleagues conducted a study “to evaluate the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and both brain volumes and head circumference in very-low-birth-weight/very-low-gestational-age infants.”

The study, published in the February 2010 Journal of Pediatrics, concluded, “Prenatal smoking exposure was associated with significantly smaller frontal lobe and cerebellar volumes in the brains of preterm infants. This is consistent with reports showing an association between prenatal smoking exposure and impairments in frontal lobe and cerebellar functions such as emotion, impulse control, and attention.”

Ekblad and others also analyzed health records of babies born in Finland between 1987 and 1989 as well as the health records of the babies’ mothers.

Results of these studies (presented at the 2009 Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) show that the use of psychotropic medication was highest in the young adults whose mothers smoked while pregnant. Such exposure increased the risk for use of all such drugs, including those used to treat ADHD, addiction and depression. Of the young adults whose mothers had smoked more than 10 cigarettes per day during their pregnancy, more than 10 percent used drugs to treat depression. “Young adults exposed to prenatal smoking had a significantly increased risk for use of psychiatric drugs than unexposed young adults.” The authors added, “Our study suggests that preventing prenatal smoking exposure could reduce psychiatric problems in young adults.”

Sleep problems are sometimes associated with behavioral problems and depression in children, so there may be a connection between the Finnish studies and a study headed by Kristen Stone (of the Brown Center for the Study of Children at Risk, Women and Infants Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island). The authors concluded, “Prenatal exposure to nicotine was positively associated with children's sleep problems persisting throughout the first 12 years of life. Targeting of this group of children for educational and behavioral efforts to prevent and treat sleep problems is merited given that good sleep may serve as a protective factor for other developmental outcomes.”

Sadly, it is too late for these children to have the best possible start for a healthy life, and the researchers recommend that they be given extra help to compensate for the shortfall. Perhaps their mothers did not understand that using tobacco while pregnant exposed their unborn children to unnecessary physical and mental health risks. But those who use tobacco by choice (whether through smoking or chewing) are also choosing to increase their own risks of damaged physical and mental health.

These studies and tests reinforce what we have known about the physical dangers of tobacco use and add a more cerebral level of concern for the mental health of those exposed to tobacco. The smart conclusion would be to avoid tobacco use altogether.

HEALTHY EATING

Easy Tips for Planning a Healthy Diet and Sticking to It

Healthy eating is not about strict nutrition philosophies, staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of the foods you love. Rather, it’s about feeling great, having more energy, and keeping yourself as healthy as possible– all of which can be achieved by learning some nutrition basics and using them in a way that works for you.


Healthy eating begins with learning how to “eat smart”—it’s not just what you eat, but how you eat. Your food choices can reduce your risk of illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, as well as defend against depression. Additionally, learning the habits of healthy eating can improve your health by boosting your energy, sharpening your memory and stabilizing your mood. Expand your range of healthy food choices and learn how to plan ahead to create and maintain a satisfying, healthy diet.

Healthy eating tip 1: Set yourself up for success

To set yourself up for success, think about planning a healthy diet as a number of small, manageable steps rather than one big drastic change. If you approach the changes gradually and with commitment, you will have a healthy diet sooner than you think.


Simplify. Instead of being overly concerned with counting calories or measuring portion sizes, think of your diet in terms of color, variety and freshness—then it should be easier to make healthy choices. Focus on finding foods you love and easy recipes that incorporate a few fresh ingredients. Gradually, your diet will become healthier and more delicious.

Start slow and make changes to your eating habits over time. Trying to make your diet healthy overnight isn’t realistic or smart. Changing everything at once usually leads to cheating or giving up on your new eating plan. Make small steps, like adding a salad (full of different color vegetables) to your diet once a day or switching from butter to olive oil when cooking. As your small changes become habit, you can continue to add more healthy choices to your diet.

Every change you make to improve your diet matters. You don’t have to be perfect and you don’t have to completely eliminate foods you enjoy to have a healthy diet. The long term goal is to feel good, have more energy and reduce the risk of cancer and disease. Don’t let your missteps derail you—every healthy food choice you make counts.

Healthy eating tip 2: Moderation is key


People often think of healthy eating as an all or nothing proposition, but a key foundation for any healthy diet is moderation. Despite what certain fad diets would have you believe, we all need a balance of carbohydrates, protein, fat, fiber, vitamins, and minerals to sustain a healthy body.

Try not to think of certain foods as “off limits.” When you ban certain foods or food groups, it is natural to want those foods more, and then feel like a failure if you give in to temptation. If you are drawn towards sweet, salty or unhealthy foods, start by reducing portion sizes and not eating them as often. Later you may find yourself craving them less or thinking of them as only occasional indulgences.

Think smaller portions. Serving sizes have ballooned recently, particularly in restaurants. When dining out, choose a starter instead of an entrée, split a dish with a friend, and don’t order supersized anything. At home, use smaller plates, think about serving sizes in realistic terms and start small. Visual cues can help with portion sizes—your serving of meat, fish or chicken should be the size of a deck of cards. A teaspoon of oil or salad dressing is about the size of a matchbook and your slice of bread should be the size of a CD case.

Healthy eating tip 3: It's not just what you eat, it's how you eat

Healthy eating is about more than the food on your plate—it is also about how you think about food. Healthy eating habits can be learned and it is important to slow down and think about food as nourishment rather than just something to gulp down in between meetings or on the way to pick up the kids.

Eat with others whenever possible. Eating with other people has numerous social and emotional benefits—particularly for children—and allows you to model healthy eating habits. Eating in front of the TV or computer often leads to mindless overeating.

Take time to chew your food and enjoy mealtimes. Chew your food slowly, savoring every bite. We tend to rush though our meals, forgetting to actually taste the flavors and feel the textures of what is in our mouths. Reconnect with the joy of eating.

Listen to your body. Ask yourself if you are really hungry, or have a glass of water to see if you are thirsty instead of hungry. During a meal, stop eating before you feel full. It actually takes a few minutes for your brain to tell your body that it has had enough food, so eat slowly.

Eat breakfast, and eat smaller meals throughout the day. A healthy breakfast can jumpstart your metabolism, and eating small, healthy meals throughout the day (rather than the standard three large meals) keeps your energy up and your metabolism going.

Healthy eating tip 4: Fill up on colorful fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are the foundation of a healthy diet—they are low in calories and nutrient dense, which means they are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. Fruits and vegetables should be part of every meal and your first choice for a snack—aim for a minimum of five portions each day. The antioxidants and other nutrients in fruits and vegetables help protect against certain types of cancer and other diseases.


Eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day—the brighter the better.

The brighter, deeper colored fruits and vegetables contain higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants—and different colors provide different benefits. Some great choices are:

Greens: Greens are packed with calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc, vitamins A, C, E and K, and they help strengthen the blood and respiratory systems. Be adventurous with your greens and branch out beyond bright and dark green lettuce—kale, mustard greens, broccoli, Chinese cabbage are just a few of the options.

Sweet vegetables: Naturally sweet vegetables add healthy sweetness to your meals and reduce your cravings for other sweets. Some examples of sweet vegetables are corn, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes or yams, winter squash, and onions.

Fruit: A wide variety of fruit is also vital to a healthy diet. Fruit provides fiber, vitamins and antioxidants. Berries are cancer-fighting, apples provide fiber, oranges and mangos offer vitamin C, and so on.

Healthy eating tip 5: Eat more healthy carbs and whole grains


Choose healthy carbohydrates and fiber sources, especially whole grains, for long lasting energy. In addition to being delicious and satisfying, whole grains are rich in phytochemicals and antioxidants, which help to protect against coronary heart disease, certain cancers, and diabetes. Studies have shown people who eat more whole grains tend to have a healthier heart.


Healthy eating tip 6 : Put protein in perspective


Protein gives us the energy to get up and go—and keep going. Protein in food is broken down into the 20 amino acids that are the body’s basic building blocks for growth and energy, and essential for maintaining cells, tissues and organs. A lack of protein in our diet can slow growth, reduce muscle mass, lower immunity, and weaken the heart and respiratory system. Protein is particularly important for children, whose bodies are growing and changing daily.

Here are some guidelines for including protein in your healthy diet:

Try different types of protein. Whether or not you are a vegetarian, trying different protein sources—such as beans, nuts, seeds, peas, tofu and soy products—will open up new options for healthy mealtimes.
Beans: Black beans, navy beans, garbanzos, and lentils are good options.

Nuts: Almonds, walnuts, pistachios and pecans are great choices.

Soy products: Try tofu, soy milk, tempeh and veggie burgers for a change.

Avoid salted or sugary nuts and refried beans.

Downsize your portions of protein. Most people in the U.S. eat too much protein. Try to move away from protein being the center of your meal. Focus on equal servings of protein, whole grains, and vegetables.

Focus on quality sources of protein, like fresh fish, chicken or turkey, tofu, eggs, beans or nuts. When you are having meat, chicken, or turkey, buy meat that is free of hormones and antibiotics.

ALZHEIMER DISEASE

Our brain is an extremely complex organ and is the boss of the body as it has the controls of the body within its nerves. Dysfunction in the working of the brain is the result of the onset of a disease called Alzheimer’s disease named after a German physician Aloise Alzheimer. The part of the brain cells which control thought, memory and language deteriorates. It is a severe disorder which starts worsening with the passage of time.


It usually affects people who have passed the threshold of 65 years. This disease can cause irreversible damage to certain nerve cells of the susceptible areas of the brain. Transmission of nerve cells is encumbered due to nerve-cell loss, uncharacteristic interweaving of the nerves and absence of some chemicals. This can cause hindrance in recalling things and an inability to think properly. It also causes forgetfulness, language difficulties and paranoia. As the stages of the disease advances it becomes increasingly difficult to comprehend the patient. Patients may not even recognize family members and may forget even the simplest of habits like brushing their teeth or combing their hair. Ultimately the patients are bedridden and need total care and support of their families and friends.

It is a de-generative disease which can destruct the social life of a person. The cure of this disease still remains unknown. However the scientists have identified the risk factors which cause the probability of developing this disease. Some of them are listed below.


Progression in age

Heredity and genes

Critical head injury

Environmental elements like air and water

Imbalance of chemicals in the body or difficulties with the immune system

High blood pressure and cholesterol

Heart attack or stroke

Diabetes

Smoking excessively or consuming too much alcohol

Depression

Deficiencies of vitamins and minerals

Exposure to environmental toxins

Down syndrome


There are warning signs which can be interpreted as the oncoming of this disease. Some of which are:


Loss of memory

Effort required in performing of everyday and easy tasks

Language problems

Forgetfulness

Losing or misplacing things

Personality changes

Behavioral changes or mood swings

Irritation

Delusions and hallucinations

Difficulty in recognizing faces or recalling names

Disruption of bowel control and bladder

Fretfulness

Sleeplessness

Low concentration span

Decreased judgment

Confusion regarding time and places

Once these symptoms are experienced it is extremely important to consult a physician and attain an early diagnosis so that there is a better chance of profiting from the treatment and planning the future. It is crucial that the doctor determines the exact cause of these symptoms as some of them are due to reversible conditions like depression, anemia or vitamin deficiencies. A physician examines the medical history and performs neurological and physical examinations. He may also conduct urine tests or CAT scan to detect the disorders of the brain.

One the diagnoses is made best possible treatment is suggested which can aid in cognitive and behavioral symptoms to slow down the rate of the progression of disease thereby improving the quality of life. Apart from medications it is vital to exercise daily, eat a healthy diet, and engage in brain stimulating tasks. Support from family members in such a crucial period is always a strong pillar of hope to combat this disease. Often family members have to sacrifice their needs and give their utmost care to the patient.

HOW WATER HELPS YOU MAINTAIN A GOOD HEALTHY BODY

Water is a great ‘medicine’ that can help to prevent and cure various illnesses. It’s one medicine that’s available in almost every household; pure water. If you are not aware of how water helps to keep you healthy and cure quite a few illnesses, then I suggest you read on.

Water is an essential element of a healthy body. You should drink adequate water throughout the day. Don’t wait for the ‘thirst feeling’. Feeling thirsty is an indication that your body has already started to dehydrate.

Over 70% of your body is water. And if the ‘water level’ in these essential organs goes below 70%, there’s high chances of you becoming ill. The body uses the stored water, if your food/fluid intake does not provide enough water to compensate for the loss through excretion. Essentially, this results in your body becoming dry and thin. So, the loss of water does not only affect your inner function, but also your outer appearance.

In addition to all that, people in hot countries should be more mindful of their water intake and make sure it’s adequate. Of course, it’s equally important for people in the colder countries. Generally, people in hot countries tend to have more kidney and liver troubles as compared to those in the colder countries, because their water intake is not sufficient to compensate for the accelerated water loss.

Average water intake that’s recommended for a healthy person is 4-5 liters. If that sounds too much to you, break it down over the entire day, and you’ll see how easy it is to maintain that level of intake everyday. A liter and a half during the morning. Another litre and half around lunch time. From then, until dinner, it should not be difficult to consume another liter. And before you go off to sleep, another liter. That sums up to 5 liters a day with ease. Of course, on exhaustive days (such as when you’ve had extra sport to play, etc) you should increase consumption by another half a litre or so.

Also remember to avoid water half an hour before/after meals. Reason for that is water tends to dilute the digestive juices, and a higher than normal % of the meals will then convert to fat (since they cannot be digested as efficiently by the body).

The temperature of the water you drink is also important. Too hot or too ice cold water consistently, can be damaging to the overall health of the body. Here’s some guidelines for optimum temperatures of water, given the situation:


1.) Normal/healthy people should drink cool (not cold!) or slightly warm water. Average room temperature water is also good.

2.) If you have a high fever, or sweat a lot, make sure you drink cool water frequently (though in smaller quantity each time).

3.) In the case of tendency to vomit, suck on ice occasionally. This helps stop the tendency to vomit.


Maintaining an average level of water intake on a daily basis is the key to good health and prevention of common (yet harmful) diseases. In fact, for some illnesses, water often is the key element that often initiates the recovery. Be on the lookout for my next few articles, as I’ll blog about what common illnesses exist that can be cured by maintaining a good water intake.

HIV (HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS)

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus.

This is the virus that causes AIDS. HIV is different from most other viruses because it attacks the immune system. The immune system gives our bodies the ability to fight infections. HIV finds and destroys a type of white blood cell (T cells or CD4 cells) that the immune system must have to fight disease.

For more information view CDC's questions and answers on "HIV Science".

AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.


AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection. It can take years for a person infected with HIV, even without treatment, to reach this stage. Having AIDS means that the virus has weakened the immune system to the point at which the body has a difficult time fighting infections. When someone has one or more of these infections and a low number of T cells, he or she has AIDS.


Course of an HIV infection


The course of untreated HIV infection can be divided into three phases: The acute HIV disease, then the latency phase and finally the disease of Aids, ending in death. The acute HIV disease lasts a few weeks. This period is also know as the window of vulnerability, since it is characterised by an explosive replication of the HIV. During this phase, the HIV invade the organs of the defence system and other bodily organs and establish themselves there. The latency phase lasts on average 10 years, during which the virus concentration is relatively low. In the Aids phase the defence system is completely destroyed, as the result of which death occurs after 1-2 years.

 
Weakening and destruction of the immune system



The defence system (immune system) has two main jobs: as well as combating outside invaders such as bacteria, viruses, fungi etc., which give rise to so-called infectious diseases, it also prevents cancer by tracking down and destroying the body's own damaged or degenerate cells.

It takes several years before the human immune system is defeated by the HIV infection. A veritable war goes on between the immune system and the viruses, with many battles. We know now that as early as a few days after infection (during the acute infection stage) several thousand million (!) new viruses are formed and at the same time thousands of millions of helper cells are destroyed. Hence, 2-3 weeks following infection, the acute HIV infection (= primo-infection) can appear, which subsides again after about 6 weeks, when the human immune system has gained the upper hand in the first battle. Even during the symptom-free latency period, the viruses replicate with extraordinary vigour. The human immune system kills as many HIV as are produced, maintaining equilibrium year upon year. When AIDS itself occurs, the immune system becomes exhausted and the quantity of virus steadily increases. The weakening of the immune system through HIV infection makes people increasingly vulnerable, especially to infectious diseases and cancer.

Symptoms of HIV Infection


The only way to know whether you are infected is to be tested for HIV.

You cannot rely on symptoms alone because many people who are infected with HIV do not have symptoms for many years. Someone can look and feel healthy but can still be infected. In fact, one quarter of the HIV-infected persons in the United States do not know that they are infected.


Antiretroviral therapy (ART)



The current therapy for HIV infection is called HAART (Highly Active AntiRetroviral Therapy) and consists of a combination of at least three different active ingredients. There are more than 20 different drugs in use.

A successful HAART suppresses the viral load (concentration of the HIV in the blood) to below the detection threshold and indirectly increases the number of T-helper cells. Due to these drugs, HIV infection can be changed from a fatal illness into a chronic illness. This can not only prevent the appearance of symptoms, but the risk of infection can also be significantly reduced.

The drugs all prevent replication of HIVs via various mechanisms, by interrupting the replication cycle. However, these drugs can only work over the long term, if they are taken daily, 365 days a year.

Due to antiretroviral therapy (ART), people infected with HIV are living significantly longer and have a better quality of life. But ART cannot completely eliminate the HIV in a person and it cannot effect a cure. The drugs must be taken for a lifetime, which is a heavy burden on the patient. As soon as the drugs are stopped, the viruses replicate again explosively. Sometimes the drugs are not tolerated or the HIV are resistant to these drugs, so they no longer work. Despite ART, more than 100 people still die from Aids every year in Switzerland.