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Uganda is among the most HIV/AIDS-afflicted countries, and many HIV-infected persons live in remote areas with poor access to health care. The success of HIV care programs relies in part on patient monitoring using CD4 T cell counts. We conducted an evaluation of the point-of-care PIMA test using BD FACSCount as a gold standard. One hundred fifty-one participants were enrolled, provided venous blood and samples tested at the point of care with the Alere PIMA™ CD4 Analyzer and the BD FACSCount in the UVRI-IAVI main laboratory. Correlation between the methods was assessed, as was the ability of the Pima Analyzer to predict values <200, <350, and ≥500 CD4 cells/mm3 when compared with BD FACSCount as the gold standard. A near-perfect positive Pearson correlation coefficient (r = 0.948; p < .0001) between the two methods was observed. The Alere PIMA Analyzer had a mean bias of −32.5 cells/mm3. The sensitivity and specificity, for PIMA to predict CD4 lymphocyte count less than 200 cells/mm3, were 71.4% and 100%, respectively; less than 350 cells/mm3 were 84.6% and 94.6%, respectively; and at CD4 count less than 500 cells/mm3 were 94.4% and 100%. The Alere Pima Analyzer provides reliable CD4 cell count measurement and is suitable for monitoring and screening eligible HIV patients in hard-to-reach settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the article "Knowledge and Use of Modern Family Planning Methods in Fishing Communities along Lake Victoria, Uganda" by Annet Nanvubya is presented.

An abstract of the article "Assessment of Retention Rates Using Mobile Phones versus Physical Contact Tracing among Fishing Communities Along the Shores of Lake Victoria, Uganda" by Juliet Mpendo, Annet Nanvubya, Ali Ssetaala, and colleagues is presented.