The 2016 data released by Statistics South Africa (SSA) estimated that 12.7% of the population was infected with HIV.1 Since 2005, there has been a decline in the annual death rate from the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).1 Despite this, up to a third of HIV-infected patients still present with advanced disease and with low cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4) counts viz. This evidence concerns the gene CD4 and AIDS.