Epidemiological Characteristics and Transmissibility of Human Immunodeficiency Virus in Nanning City, China, 2001-2020

Effectiveness of human immunodeficiency virus prevention strategies by mapping the geographic dispersion pattern of human immunodeficiency virus prevalence in Nanning, China

BACKGROUND

The Guangxi government initiated two rounds of the Guangxi AIDS Conquering Project (GACP) in 2010 (Phase I) and 2015 (Phase II) to control human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemics. However, the effectiveness of GACP in HIV prevention and treatment has rarely been reported. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the GACP implemented in Guangxi, China and provide data for strategy and praxis improvements to achieve Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) 95-95 targets.

METHODS

We used spatial approaches to trace the spatiotemporal distribution properties, epidemic trends, and correlation between macroscopic factors and HIV incidence using data from the Chinese HIV/AIDS case reporting system to explore the effects of the GACP.

RESULTS

During the GACP era, the HIV epidemic stabilized in urban centers, showing a downward trend in the Hengzhou and Binyang Counties in the eastern region, whereas it continued to increase in rural areas of the northwest region, such as the Long'an, Mashan, Shanglin, and Wuming Districts. The linear directional mean (LDM) of HIV infection reported cases displayed a southeast-northwest direction, with an LDM value of 12.52°. Compared with that in Phase I, Hengzhou withdrew from the high-high clustering area, and the west-north suburban counties pulled out the low-low clustering area during Phase II. Significant HIV clusters were identified in the eastern region during Phase I, whereas these clusters emerged in the northwestern areas during Phase II. Regarding HIV, socioeconomic status, population mobility, and medical care levels were the key social drivers of heterogeneous spatial distribution.

CONCLUSIONS

The GACP assisted in effectively managing the HIV epidemic in urban and eastern areas of Nanning City. However, prevention and control efforts in rural regions, particularly those located in the northwest, may not have yielded comparable outcomes. To address this disparity, allocating additional resources and implementing tailored intervention measures for these rural areas are imperative.

Tuberculosis among Ambulatory People Living with HIV in Guangxi Province, China: A Longitudinal Study

BACKGROUND

This study aims to determine the prevalence of TB among ambulatory people living with HIV in Guangxi Province, which experienced the biggest HIV epidemic in China.

METHODS

We undertook a longitudinal study in five HIV/AIDS designated hospitals randomly selected from Guangxi Province; all newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS outpatients from 2019 to 2021 were screened for TB and interviewed with a questionnaire.

RESULTS

A total of 4539 HIV/AIDS outpatients were enrolled, with 2886 (63.6%) men and 1653 (26.4%) women. The prevalence of TB/HIV coinfection was 0.8%, with a clear downward trend from 1.3% in 2019 to 0.4% in 2021 (p = 0.0011). The prevalence of LTBI was 24.3%, with no significant differences from 2019 to 2021. The percentages of AIDS, comorbidity, nine symptoms and abnormal chest X-ray of TB were higher than those of the other PLWH.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of TB among ambulatory people with HIV in Guangxi Province was 14 times higher than the general population, and the annual declined TB prevalence indicated the effectiveness of TB and HIV control and prevention over recent years. The findings proved that symptom screening was insufficient for TB diagnosis and highlighted the importance of systematic TB screening at every visit to a health facility.

Immunogenicity and safety of an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in people living with HIV: A cross-sectional study

We aimed to analyze the efficacy and safety of an inactivated SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccine in people living with HIV (PLWH). A total of 143 PLWH and 50 healthy individuals were included in this study. A commercially available magnetic chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay kit was used to detect serum IgG and IgM antibodies against SARS‐CoV‐2. Serum levels of SARS‐CoV‐2‐specific IgG were significantly higher in the control group than in the PLWH group (p = 0.001). Overall, 76% of individuals in the control group were detected with seropositivity IgG against SARS‐CoV‐2 compared to 58% in the PLWH group (p = 0.024). In PLWH with IgG seropositivity, CD4+ T‐cell counts before antiretroviral therapy (ART) was higher (p = 0.015). Multivariable analysis indicated that CD4+ T cells at IgG detection (odds ratio [OR] = 1.004, p = 0.006) and time after vaccination (OR = 0.977, p = 0.014) were independently associated with seropositivity IgG against SARS‐CoV‐2 in PLWH. Neutralizing antibody (nAb) titers in PLWH against wild‐type SARS‐CoV‐2 were similar to those in the control group (p = 0.160). The proportion of seropositive nAbs against wild‐type SARS‐CoV‐2 was also similar (95% in the control group vs. 97% in the PLWH group, p = 0.665). Similar results were obtained when nAb was detected against the delta variants with similar titers (p = 0.355) and a similar proportion of seropositive nAbs were observed (p = 0.588). All the side effects observed in our study were mild and self‐limiting. The inactivated COVID‐19 vaccine appears to be safe with good immunogenicity in Chinese PLWH.