For someone with HIV/AIDS to start taking HIV treatment (ARVs) they need to know their CD4 count which tells you the amount of immunity cells in the blood. You only need ARVs when your CD4 count is less than 350 and you have a high HIV viral load. Your body can contain the virus for a while without you needing ARVs-everybody is different so the time taken before you need ARVs varies from person to person.
Attribution: Straight Talk Foundation