Vos AG, et al. - Researchers sought to inscribe the burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in a rural setting in sub‐Saharan Africa considering HIV infection and antiretroviral therapy (ART). The baseline of the Ndlovu Cohort study including HIV‐negative and HIV‐positive participants in rural South Africa between 2014 and 2017 was assessed in this cross‐sectional analysis. Assessment of a total of 1,927 participants [887 (46%) HIV positive; 54% women; median age: 38 years] was done. They identified lower values for most of the CVD risk factors but higher C‐reactive protein levels among participants with HIV vs HIV‐negative participants. Findings thereby suggest the presence of a favorable CVD risk profile in HIV‐positive participants vs HIV‐negative participants. However, increased carotid intima‐media thickness was observed in HIV‐positive participants on ART. This indicates a higher burden of subclinical CVD for the HIV‐positive population.