In addition to ART timing, our study emphasizes the important protective role of viral suppression on ART against mortality; the extremely high CFR reported among hospitalised HIV-positive individuals with low CD4 counts < 350 cells/mm3 from suspected bacterial sepsis and disseminated TB, underscores the impact of failure to timeously diagnose and initiate treatment in patients for both TB and HIV, and possibly delayed patient health seeking behavior. The gene discussed is CD4; the disease is tuberculosis.