According to the Joint United Nations Programme on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) (UNAIDS), there were an estimated 7.5 million people living with HIV (PLWH) in South Africa in 2018.1 South African guidelines published in 2017, recommend that all adult PLWH regardless of the CD4 count are eligible to receive anti-retroviral therapy (ART).2 This evidence concerns the gene CD4 and AIDS.