Someone with HIV who takes their antiretroviral therapy as prescribed has the same life expectancy as someone who doesn't have the virus. Most people only need to take one pill a day. The side-effect profile is extremely good - some people get diarrhoea or nausea during the early stages of treatment, but most people experience no significant long-term side-effects. The vast majority of people will have an undetectable viral load within a few months of starting treatment, meaning that they have effectively no chance of passing on the infection.

As chronic diseases go, HIV really isn't particularly unpleasant. The majority of people aged over 60 are suffering from something far worse - hypertension, arthritis, diabetes, ischaemic heart disease, COPD etc.

The gentleman mentioned in the article is behaving in an incredibly reckless fashion. He has rejected a safe and effective treatment in favour of something completely untested, for no obvious benefit. He is clearly suffering, but I think his problems are primarily psychological rather than biomedical.