CD4 and bacterial infectious disease: Our findings are consistent with those from previous studies, which show the efficacy of early ART in reducing the risk of bacterial diseases.8, 10 In a randomised controlled trial that compared immediate initiation of ART with deferred ART (according to the most recent WHO criteria, which changed during the course of the study) in HIV-positive people with CD4 cell count greater than 200 cells per μL in Côte d'Ivoire, early ART was associated with a 77% reduced risk of invasive bacterial disease.8