Nonetheless, the most significant change during the study period was the improvement of treatment standards and the expansion of treatment coverage, with the criterion for ART initiation changing from CD4 + T cell counts ≤ 350 cells/μl in 2008 to ≤ 500 cells/μl in 2014, with immediate ART now recommended for all patients after a diagnosis of HIV infection. Here, CD4 is linked to HIV infectious disease.