Enrolment and programmatic trends and predictors of antiretroviral therapy initiation from President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)-supported public HIV care and treatment sites in rural Mozambique

2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 621-627 ◽  
Author(s):  
T D Moon ◽  
J R Burlison ◽  
M Blevins ◽  
B E Shepherd ◽  
A Baptista ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antiretroviral Therapy ◽  
Linkage To Care ◽  
Routine Data ◽  
Hiv Treatment ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Hiv Care ◽  
Emergency Plan ◽  
Art Initiation ◽  
Rural Africa ◽  
Sub Saharan

Summary Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa have made antiretroviral therapy (ART) available in urban settings, but the progress of treatment expansion into rural Africa has been slower. We analysed routine data for patients enrolled in a rural HIV treatment programme in Zambézia Province, Mozambique (1 June 2006 through 30 March 2009). There were 12,218 patients who were ≥15 years old enrolled (69% women). Median age was 25 years for women and 31 years for men. Older age and higher level of education were strongly predictive of ART initiation (P < 0.001). Patients with a CD4+ count of 350 cells/μL versus 50 cells/μL were less likely to begin ART (odds ratio [OR]: 0.19, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.16-0.23). In rural sub-Saharan Africa, HIV testing, linkage to care, logistics for ART initiation and fears among some patients to take ART require specialized planning to maximize successes. Sustainability will require improved health manpower, infrastructure, stable funding, continuous drug supplies, patient record systems and, most importantly, community engagement.

scholarly journals Low levels of frailty in HIV-positive older adults on antiretroviral therapy in northern Tanzania

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare Bristow ◽  
Grace George ◽  
Grace Hillsmith ◽  
Emma Rainey ◽  
Sarah Urasa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antiretroviral Therapy ◽  
High Standard ◽  
Female Gender ◽  
Screening Tools ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Hiv Care ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Clinical Frailty Scale ◽  
Frailty Phenotype ◽  
Sub Saharan

Abstract There are over 3 million people in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) aged 50 and over living with HIV. HIV and combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) exposure may accelerate the ageing in this population, and thus increase the prevalence of premature frailty. There is a paucity of data on the prevalence of frailty in an older HIV + population in SSA and screening and diagnostic tools to identify frailty in SSA. Patients aged ≥ 50 were recruited from a free Government HIV clinic in Tanzania. Frailty assessments were completed, using 3 diagnostic and screening tools: the Fried frailty phenotype (FFP), Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) and Brief Frailty Instrument for Tanzania (B-FIT 2). The 145 patients recruited had a mean CD4 + of 494.84 cells/µL, 99.3% were receiving cART and 72.6% were virally suppressed. The prevalence of frailty by FFP was 2.758%. FFP frailty was significantly associated with female gender (p = 0.006), marital status (p = 0.007) and age (p = 0.038). Weight loss was the most common FFP domain failure. The prevalence of frailty using the B-FIT 2 and the CFS was 0.68%. The B-FIT 2 correlated with BMI (r = − 0.467, p = 0.0001) and CD4 count in females (r = − 0.244, p = 0.02). There is an absence of frailty in this population, as compared to other clinical studies. This may be due to the high standard of HIV care at this Government clinic. Undernutrition may be an important contributor to frailty. It is unclear which tool is most accurate for detecting the prevalence of frailty in this setting as levels of correlation are low.

scholarly journals Video-Based Intervention for Improving Maternal Retention and Adherence to HIV Treatment: Patient Perspectives and Experiences

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1737
Author(s):  
Steven Masiano ◽  
Edwin Machine ◽  
Mtisunge Mphande ◽  
Christine Markham ◽  
Tapiwa Tembo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Positive Impact ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Hiv Treatment ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Hiv Care ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Long Term Conditions ◽  
Art Initiation ◽  
Retention In Hiv Care

VITAL Start is a video-based intervention aimed to improve maternal retention in HIV care and adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Malawi. We explored the experiences of pregnant women living with HIV (PWLHIV) not yet on ART who received VITAL Start before ART initiation to assess the intervention’s acceptability, feasibility, fidelity of delivery, and perceived impact. Between February and September 2019, we conducted semi-structured interviews with a convenience sample of 34 PWLHIV within one month of receiving VITAL Start. The participants reported that VITAL Start was acceptable and feasible and had good fidelity of delivery. They also reported that the video had a positive impact on their lives, encouraging them to disclose their HIV status to their sexual partners who, in turn, supported them to adhere to ART. The participants suggested using a similar intervention to provide health-related education/counseling to people with long term conditions. Our findings suggest that video-based interventions may be an acceptable, feasible approach to optimizing ART retention and adherence amongst PWLHIV, and they can be delivered with high fidelity. Further exploration of the utility of low cost, scalable, video-based interventions to address health counseling gaps in sub-Saharan Africa is warranted.

scholarly journals Pediatric Access and Continuity of HIV Care Before the Start of Antiretroviral Therapy in Sub-Saharan Africa

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (9) ◽  
pp. 981-986 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathieu Bastard ◽  
Elisabeth Poulet ◽  
Nathalie Nicolay ◽  
Elisabeth Szumilin ◽  
Suna Balkan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antiretroviral Therapy ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Hiv Care ◽  
Sub Saharan

scholarly journals Predictors of Delayed Antiretroviral Therapy Initiation, Mortality, and Loss to Followup in HIV Infected Patients Eligible for HIV Treatment: Data from an HIV Cohort Study in India

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerardo Alvarez-Uria ◽  
Raghavakalyan Pakam ◽  
Manoranjan Midde ◽  
Praveen Kumar Naik
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Antiretroviral Therapy ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Hiv Treatment ◽  
Cd4 Count ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Hiv Patients ◽  
Disadvantaged Community ◽  
Timely Initiation ◽  
Art Initiation

Studies from Sub-Saharan Africa have shown that a substantial number of HIV patients eligible for antiretroviral therapy (ART) do not start treatment. However, data from other low- or middle-income countries are scarce. In this study, we describe the outcomes of 4105 HIV patients who became ART eligible from January 2007 to November 2011 in an HIV cohort study in India. After three years of ART eligibility, 78.4% started ART, 9.3% died before ART initiation, and 10.3% were lost to followup. Diagnosis of tuberculosis, being homeless, lower CD4 count, longer duration of pre-ART care, belonging to a disadvantaged community, being widowed, and not living near a town were associated with delayed ART initiation. Diagnosis of tuberculosis, being homeless, lower CD4 count, shorter duration of pre-ART care, belonging to a disadvantaged community, illiteracy, and age >45 years were associated with mortality. Being homeless, being single, not living near a town, having a CD4 count <150 cells/μL, and shorter duration of pre-ART care were associated with loss to followup. These results highlight the need to improve the timely initiation of ART in HIV programmes in India, especially in ART eligible patients with tuberculosis, low CD4 counts, living in rural areas, or having a low socioeconomic status.

Factors Affecting Adherence to Pediatrics Antiretroviral Therapy in Mekelle Hospital, Tigray Ethiopia

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teklemariam Gultie ◽  
Tesfay G/Amlak ◽  
Girum Sebsibie
Keyword(s):  
Antiretroviral Therapy ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Hiv Treatment ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Hospital Data ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Care Givers ◽  
Male Care ◽  
Sub Saharan

The most important factor in the success of HIV treatment is adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART).The challenge to adherence to ART is particularly serious in Sub-Saharan Africa as the high rates of HIV/AIDS lead to greater numbers of affected individuals. Although long-term good ART adherence has been observed in certain settings of public sectors the magnitude of this challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa remains large and there is evidence for high rates of patient’s poor adherence. Study aimed to assess the factors affecting adherence to pediatrics antiretroviral therapy (ART) among children in Mekelle hospital, Tigray, Ethiopia. A Hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted on 226 children on antiretroviral therapy from May 01 to 30/2014 at Mekelle hospital. Data was collected from care givers of children under 15 years old who are on ART. Of the 226 children under 15 years, 90.3 % reported complete adherence to antiretroviral therapy medications at the regular schedule over the past 7 days. Factors associated with adherence were having male care giver (AOR=2.10[1.01, 7.22]), age of the child (AOR=1.43[1.16, 3.98]) below 5 years and use of first line ART drugs (AOR=2.86[1.54, 3.67]). Over all the adherence of children on ART to their medication in this study is relatively higher as compared to others. However, complete adherence is expected in order to make the drugs effective. Different strategies have to be designed to improve the adherence level.

scholarly journals Evaluating the Integrated Methadone and Anti-Retroviral Therapy Strategy in Tanzania Using the RE-AIM Framework

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 728
Author(s):  
Saria Hassan ◽  
Alexis Cooke ◽  
Haneefa Saleem ◽  
Dorothy Mushi ◽  
Jessie Mbwambo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Care Delivery ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Hiv Care ◽  
Hiv Positive ◽  
Initiation Rate ◽  
Hiv Services ◽  
Art Initiation ◽  
Care Integration ◽  
Therapy Strategy ◽  
Sub Saharan

There are an estimated 50,000 people who inject drugs in Tanzania, with an HIV prevalence in this population of 42%. The Integrated Methadone and Anti-Retroviral Therapy (IMAT) strategy was developed to integrate HIV services into an opioid treatment program (OTP) in sub-Saharan Africa and increase anti-retroviral therapy (ART) initiation rates. In this paper, we evaluate the IMAT strategy using an implementation science framework to inform future care integration efforts in the region. IMAT centralized HIV services into an OTP clinic in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania: HIV diagnosis, ART initiation, monitoring and follow up. A mixed-methods, concurrent design, was used for evaluation: quantitative programmatic data and semi-structured interviews with providers and clients addressed 4 out of 5 components of the RE-AIM framework: reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation. Results showed high reach: 98% of HIV-positive clients received HIV services; effectiveness: 90-day ART initiation rate doubled, from 41% pre-IMAT to 87% post-IMAT (p < 0.001); proportion of HIV-positive eligible clients on ART increased from 71% pre-IMAT to 98% post-IMAT (p < 0.001). There was high adoption and implementation protocol fidelity. Qualitative results informed barriers and facilitators of RE-AIM components. In conclusion, we successfully integrated HIV care into an OTP clinic in sub-Saharan Africa with increased rates of ART initiation. The IMAT strategy represents an effective care integration model to improve HIV care delivery for OTP clients.

scholarly journals Accessing antiretroviral therapy for children: Caregivers' voices

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 331-338
Author(s):  
Margaret Williams ◽  
Dalena R.M. Van Rooyen ◽  
Esmeralda J. Ricks
Keyword(s):  
Antiretroviral Therapy ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Hiv Care ◽  
Hiv Positive ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Sub Saharan

Despite efforts to scale up access to antiretroviral therapy (ART), particularly at primary health care (PHC) facilities, antiretroviral therapy (ART) continues to be out of reach formany human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive children in sub-Saharan Africa. In resource limited settings decentralisation of ART is required to scale up access to essential medication. Traditionally, paediatric HIV care has been provided in tertiary care facilities which have better human and material resources, but limited accessibility in terms of distance for caregivers of HIV-positive children. The focus of this article is on the experiences of caregivers whilst accessing ART for HIV-positive children at PHC (decentralised care) facilities in Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. A qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual research design was used. The target population comprised caregivers of HIV-positive children. Data were collected by means of indepth individual interviews, which were thematically analysed. Guba's model was usedto ensure trustworthiness. Barriers to accessing ART at PHC clinics for HIV-positive children included personal issues, negative experiences, lack of support and finance, stigma and discrimination. The researchers recommend standardised programmes be developed and implemented in PHC clinics to assist in providing treatment, care and support for HIV positive children.

scholarly journals Feasibility and acceptability of financial incentives and peer-led life skills training for improving adherence to antiretroviral therapy among adolescents living with HIV in Rwanda: A pilot study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Majdi Osman ◽  
Simon Pierre Niyonsenga ◽  
Manasi Sharma ◽  
Rebecca Hope ◽  
Shannon Milroy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antiretroviral Therapy ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Financial Incentives ◽  
Life Skills ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Hiv Care ◽  
Art Adherence ◽  
Life Skills Training ◽  
Sub Saharan

Abstract Background The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the leading cause of death among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the long-term benefits of antiretroviral therapy (ART), adherence remains low among adolescents due to challenges related to cost, acquisition, and treatment regimen. Sub-optimal adherence to ART is associated with the development of viral resistance, treatment failure, and increased morbidity and mortality. Financial incentives and life skills training interventions have shown early promise in motivating protective behaviors, however, gaps still remain around effective and innovative ways to motivate adolescents to stay in HIV care. In partnership with youth, we developed an intervention to address their social and financial pressures in order to promote adherence. Methods A human-centered design approach was utilized to engage adolescents in the initial design of the intervention. Through random sampling, 72 adolescents ages 12–19 were then recruited from two clinics in Rwanda for the pilot study. Adolescents participated in three monthly peer-led life skills trainings at clinics and received financial incentives via mobile money upon clinic attendance and demonstration of suppressed viral load. Semi-structured interviews were then conducted with adolescents, healthcare workers, and caregivers to understand their experiences with the intervention. Results Participants responded favorably to the intervention because of the psychosocial, financial, and health benefits it provided. Caregivers felt that adolescents’ moods, attitudes, and overall well-being improved over time. Adolescents used funds to purchase school supplies and save for investments, thus mitigating their financial burdens. Additionally, we learned that logistical challenges such as SIM card registration and mobile phone access must be considered for scale-up of the intervention. Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first intervention designed in partnership with youth in sub-Saharan Africa aimed at removing financial barriers to ART adherence. The findings suggest that involving youth in the design of programs, providing them with financial incentives, and training them to use and invest their money wisely has a positive effect on them and their families. Thus, to improve adherence to ART and retention in care among HIV-positive youth, it is critical to address their socioeconomic and psychosocial needs.

scholarly journals HIV Cerebrospinal Fluid Escape and Neurocognitive Pathology in the Era of Combined Antiretroviral Therapy: What Lies Beneath the Tip of the Iceberg in Sub-Saharan Africa?

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dami Collier ◽  
Lewis Haddow ◽  
Jay Brijkumar ◽  
Mahomed-Yunus Moosa ◽  
Laura Benjamin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽  
Antiretroviral Therapy ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Severe Form ◽  
Hiv Treatment ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Independent Replication ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Csf Escape

Neurocognitive impairment remains an important HIV-associated comorbidity despite combination antiretroviral therapy (ART). Since the advent of ART, the spectrum of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) has shifted from the most severe form to milder forms. Independent replication of HIV in the central nervous system despite ART, so-called cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) escape is now recognised in the context of individuals with a reconstituted immune system. This review describes the global prevalence and clinical spectrum of CSF escape, it role in the pathogenesis of HAND and current advances in the diagnosis and management. It highlights gaps in knowledge in sub-Saharan Africa where the HIV burden is greatest and discusses the implications for this region in the context of the global HIV treatment scale up.

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