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Tippett Barr BA, Lowrance D, Johnson CC, Baggaley RC, Rogers JH, Balachandra SK, Barker J, Kalua T, Bunga S, Low-Beer D, Payne D, Bulterys MG, Jahn A. Treatment-adjusted prevalence to assess HIV testing programmes. Bull World Health Organ 2021; 99:874-882. [PMID: 34866683 PMCID: PMC8640683 DOI: 10.2471/blt.21.286388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Scale-up of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing and antiretroviral therapy (ART) for people living with HIV has been increasing in sub-Saharan Africa. As a result, areas with high HIV prevalence are finding a declining proportion of people testing positive in their national testing programmes. In eastern and southern Africa, where there are settings with adult HIV prevalence of 12% and above, the positivity from national HIV testing services has dropped to below 5%. Identifying those in need of ART is therefore becoming more costly for national HIV programmes. Annual target-setting assumes that national testing positivity rates approximate that of population prevalence. This assumption has generated an increased focus on testing approaches which achieve higher rates of HIV positivity. This trend is a departure from the provider-initiated testing and counselling strategy used early in the global HIV response. We discuss a new indicator, treatment-adjusted prevalence, that countries can use as a practical benchmark for estimating the expected adult positivity in a testing programme when accounting for both national HIV prevalence and ART coverage. The indicator is calculated by removing those people receiving ART from the numerator and denominator of HIV prevalence. Treatment-adjusted prevalence can be readily estimated from existing programme data and population estimates, and in 2019, was added to the World Health Organization guidelines for HIV testing and strategic information. Using country examples from Kenya, Malawi, South Sudan and Zimbabwe we illustrate how to apply this indicator and we discuss the potential public health implications of its use from the national to facility level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beth A Tippett Barr
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Center for Global Health, PO Box 606, Village Market, 00621 Nairobi, Kenya
| | - David Lowrance
- Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI programmes, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Cheryl Case Johnson
- Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI programmes, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Rachel Clare Baggaley
- Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI programmes, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - John H Rogers
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Global HIV & Tuberculosis, Zimbabwe
| | - Shirish K Balachandra
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Global HIV & Tuberculosis, Zimbabwe
| | - Joseph Barker
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Center for Global Health, PO Box 606, Village Market, 00621 Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Thokozani Kalua
- Ministry of Health, Department of HIV/AIDS, Lilongwe, Malawi
| | - Sudhir Bunga
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Global HIV & Tuberculosis, Juba, South Sudan
| | - Daniel Low-Beer
- Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI programmes, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Danielle Payne
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Global HIV & Tuberculosis, Lilongwe, Malawi
| | - Marc G Bulterys
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Center for Global Health, PO Box 606, Village Market, 00621 Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Andreas Jahn
- International Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH), University of Washington, Seattle, United States of America
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Pathmanathan I, Nelson R, de Louvado A, Thompson R, Pals S, Casavant I, Cardoso MJA, Ujamaa D, Bonzela J, Mikusova S, Chivurre V, Tamele S, Sleeman K, Zhang G, Zeh C, Dobbs T, Vubil A, Auld A, Briggs-Hagen M, Vergara A, Couto A, MacKellar D. High Coverage of Antiretroviral Treatment With Annual Home-Based HIV Testing, Follow-up Linkage Services, and Implementation of Test and Start: Findings From the Chókwè Health Demographic Surveillance System, Mozambique, 2014-2019. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2021; 86:e97-e105. [PMID: 33252546 PMCID: PMC7970427 DOI: 10.1097/qai.0000000000002583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early antiretroviral therapy (ART) is necessary for HIV epidemic control and depends on early diagnosis and successful linkage to care. Since 2014, annual household-based HIV testing and counseling and linkage services have been provided through the Chókwè Health and Demographic Surveillance System for residents testing HIV positive in this high HIV-burden district. METHODS District-wide Test and Start [T&S, ART for all people living with HIV (PLHIV)] began in August 2016, supported by systematic interventions to improve linkage to care and treatment. Annual rounds (R) of random household surveys were conducted to assess trends in population prevalence of ART use and viral load suppression (<1000 viral RNA copies/mL). RESULTS Between R1 (April 2014-April 2015) and R5 (April 2018-Mar 2019), 46,090 (67.2%) of 68,620 residents aged 15-59 years were tested for HIV at home at least once, and 3711 were newly diagnosed with HIV and provided linkage services. Population prevalence of current ART use among PLHIV increased from 65.0% to 87.5% between R1 and R5. ART population prevalence was lowest among men aged 25-34 years (67.8%) and women aged 15-24 (78.0%), and highest among women aged 35-44 years (93.6%) and 45-59 years (93.7%) in R5. Viral load suppression prevalence increased among all PLHIV aged 15-59 years from 52.0% in R1 to 78.3% in R5. DISCUSSION Between 2014 and 2019, Chókwè Health and Demographic Surveillance System residents surpassed the UNAIDS targets of ≥81% of PLHIV on ART and ≥73% virally suppressed. This achievement supports the combination of efforts from household-based HIV testing and counseling, support for linkage to care and treatment, and continued investments in T&S implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Robert Nelson
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | | | - Ricardo Thompson
- Chókwè Health Research and Training Center, National Institute of Health, Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Sherri Pals
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | | | | | - Dawud Ujamaa
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Juvêncio Bonzela
- Chókwè Health Research and Training Center, National Institute of Health, Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Silvia Mikusova
- Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Victor Chivurre
- Provincial Directorate of Public Health, Xai-Xai, Gaza, Mozambique
| | - Stelio Tamele
- District Directorate of Public Health, Chókwè, Gaza, Mozambique
| | - Katrina Sleeman
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Guoqing Zhang
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Clement Zeh
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Trudy Dobbs
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Adolfo Vubil
- National Institute of Health, Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Andrew Auld
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | | | - Alfredo Vergara
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Aleny Couto
- Mozambique Ministry of Health (MISAU), Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Duncan MacKellar
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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