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: INTRODUCTION: To eliminate cervical cancer (CC), access to and quality of prevention and care services must be monitored, particularly for women living with HIV (WLHIV). We assessed implementation practices in HIV clinics across sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) to identify gaps in the care cascade and used aggregated patient data to populate cascades for WLHIV attending HIV clinics. METHODS: Our facility‐based survey was administered between November 2020 and July 2021 in 30 HIV clinics across SSA that participate in the International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) consortium. We performed a qualitative site‐level assessment of CC prevention and care services and analysed data from routine care of WLHIV in SSA. RESULTS: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination was offered in 33% of sites. Referral for CC diagnosis (42%) and treatment (70%) was common, but not free at about 50% of sites. Most sites had electronic health information systems (90%), but data to inform indicators to monitor global targets for CC elimination in WLHIV were not routinely collected in these sites. Data were collected routinely in only 36% of sites that offered HPV vaccination, 33% of sites that offered cervical screening and 20% of sites that offered pre‐cancer and CC treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Though CC prevention and care services have long been available in some HIV clinics across SSA, patient and programme monitoring need to be improved. Countries should consider leveraging their existing health information systems and use monitoring tools provided by the World Health Organization to improve CC prevention programmes and access, and to track their progress towards the goal of eliminating CC., INTRODUCTION The World Health Organization (WHO) seeks to eliminate cervical cancer (CC) within this century, and has defined the “90‐70‐90” targets it expects countries to reach by 2030: 90% of [...]

IntroductionThe AmpFire HPV genotyping Assay (Atila Biosystems, Mountain View, CA, USA) is a new test for which there are few data regarding its analytic performance and reliability. Using anal and penile swab specimens from a cohort study of men who have sex with men (MSM) in Rwanda, we compared high-risk HPV (hrHPV) detection by AmpFire done at two laboratories, one at University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and the other Rwanda Military Hospital, and well-validated MY09/11-based assay done at UCSF.MethodsAnal and penile specimens collected from 338 MSM from March 2016 to September 2016 were tested for high-risk HPV genotypes (hrHPV) by MY09/11, AmpFire UCSF and AmpFire RMH. Cohen's kappa coefficient was used to test for reproducibility.ResultsThe hrHPV positivity by MY09/11 and AmpFire UCSF was 13% and 20.7% (k = 0.73) for anal specimens and was 26.3% and 32.6% (k = 0.67) for penile specimens. Specifically, good reproducibility was for types 16 and 18 (k = 0.69 and k = 0.71) for anal specimens and (k = 0.50 and k = 0.72) for penile specimens. The hrHPV positivity by AmpFire at UCSF and RMH was 20.7% for both laboratories (k = 0.87) for anal specimens and was 34.9% and 31.9% (k = 0.89) for penile specimens. Specifically, excellent reproducibility was for types 16 and 18 for anal specimens (k = 0.80 and k = 1.00) and penile specimens (k = 0.85 and k = 0.91).ConclusionResults show that MY09/11 and AmpFire assays have good reproducibility while the AmpFire UCSF and RMH assays have excellent reproducibility. These results show that AmpFire is a promising HPV genotyping test.

: Introduction: Liver disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among persons living with HIV (PLHIV). While chronic viral hepatitis has been extensively studied in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs), there is limited information about the burden of metabolic disorders on liver disease in PLHIV. Methods: We conducted a cross‐sectional analysis of baseline data collected between October 2020 and July 2022 from the IeDEA‐Sentinel Research Network, a prospective cohort enrolling PLHIV ≥40 years on antiretroviral treatment (ART) for ≥6 months from eight clinics in Asia, Americas, and central, East, southern and West Africa. Clinical assessments, laboratory testing on fasting blood samples and liver stiffness measurement (LSM)/controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) by vibration‐controlled transient elastography were performed. Multivariable logistic regression models assessed factors associated with liver fibrosis (LSM ≥7.1 kPa) and steatosis (CAP ≥248 dB/m). Population attributable fraction (PAF) of each variable associated with significant liver fibrosis was estimated using Levin's formula. Results: Overall, 2120 PLHIV (56% female, median age 50 [interquartile range: 45−56] years) were included. The prevalence of obesity was 19%, 12% had type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), 29% had hypertension and 53% had dyslipidaemia. The overall prevalence of liver fibrosis and steatosis was 7.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 6.1−8.4) and 28.4% (95% CI 26.5−30.7), respectively, with regional variability. Male sex at birth (odds ratio [OR] 1.62, CI 1.10−2.40), overweight/obesity (OR = 2.50, 95% CI 1.69−3.75), T2DM (OR 2.26, 95% CI 1.46−3.47) and prolonged exposure to didanosine (OR 3.13, 95% CI 1.46−6.49) were associated with liver fibrosis. Overweight/obesity and T2DM accounted for 42% and 11% of the PAF for liver fibrosis, while HBsAg and anti‐HCV accounted for 3% and 1%, respectively. Factors associated with steatosis included overweight/obesity (OR 4.25, 95% CI 3.29−5.51), T2DM (OR 2.06, 95% CI 1.47−2.88), prolonged exposure to stavudine (OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.27−2.26) and dyslipidaemia (OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.31−2.16). Conclusions: Metabolic disorders were significant risk factors for liver disease among PLHIV in LMICs. Early recognition of metabolic disorders risk factors might be helpful to guide clinical and lifestyle interventions. Further prospective studies are needed to determine the causative natures of these findings., INTRODUCTION With the expanded coverage of antiretroviral treatment (ART), AIDS‐related mortality among persons living with HIV (PLHIV) has substantially decreased, resulting in a growing burden of non‐AIDS comorbidities, including liver [...]

BackgroundMen who have sex with men (MSM) have a high prevalence of anal and penile human papillomavirus (HPV) infections with MSM living with HIV (MSMLH) bearing the highest rates. Data on anogenital high-risk HPV (hrHPV) among MSM in Rwanda and the associated risk factors are scant.MethodsWe recruited 350 self-identified MSM aged 18 years living in Kigali, Rwanda, with 300 recruited from the community and 50 from partner clinics. Anal and penile specimens from all participants were analyzed for hrHPV using the AmpFire platform. Logistic regression was used to calculate crude odds ratios (ORs) and adjusted ORs (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) as a measure of association between various factors and anal and penile hrHPV infection prevalence.ResultsAnal hrHPV prevalence was 20.1%, was positively associated with having receptive anal sex with more partners (aOR: 9.21, 95% CI: 3.66 to 23.14), and was negatively associated with having insertive anal sex with more partners (aOR: 0.28, 95% CI: 0.12 to 0.66). Penile hrHPV prevalence was 35.0%, was negatively associated with having receptive anal sex with more partners (aOR: 0.29, 95% CI: 0.13 to 0.66), and differed significantly by HIV status, with 55.2% and 29.7% for MSMLH and HIV-negative MSM, respectively (P < 0.01).ConclusionPenile hrHPV prevalence was higher than that of anal hrHPV and it was significantly higher in Rwandan MSMLH than in HIV-negative MSM. The prevalence of anal and penile HPV infections is likely variable at different locations in Africa, according to a number of factors including HIV status and sexual practices.

IntroductionMen who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS resulting from risky sexual behaviors. Social and contextual factors are known to mediate risk behaviors, but there is limited information about the prevalence of risky sexual practices of Rwandan MSM and the concomitant socio-contextual determinants making it difficult to assess implications for preventing HIV/STI transmission in this key population.MethodsUsing exploratory qualitative design, we obtained socio-contextual information regarding prevalence of risky sexual behavior and assessed implications for HIV/ STIs transmission and preventive measures taken by MSM to improve sexual health and wellbeing. Thirty MSM were recruited to participate in in-depth interviews using respondent-driven sampling from LGBT associations in Kigali. Data were analyzed using standard qualitative data analysis procedures.ResultsRespondents' were between 18-40 years old; all completed primary education and are mostly low-socioeconomic status. Risky sexual practices were common, but differed by peculiar individual and contextual factors. Older MSM often reported occasional sexual relations with women to avoid suspicion and social stigma. Younger MSM's risky sexual practices are mostly transactional and mediated by the need for social acceptance and support. Knowledge of STIs was poor, but prevalence, especially of HPV was high. The options for improving sexual wellbeing are limited and mostly clandestine.ConclusionRisky sexual behavior of Rwandan MSM has major implications for HIV/STI transmission. An environment of intense social stigma and social isolation makes it difficult to obtain information or services to improve sexual health. Effective interventions that address individual and contextual determinants of risk and access to health services are urgently needed to limit the consequence of MSM as a bridge for HIV transmission to the general population.

There are marked disparities in cancer survival in low‐income countries compared to high‐income countries, yet population‐based data in the first is largely lacking. In this study, data from the national cancer registry of Rwanda were examined for 542 patients diagnosed with eight of the most common cancers of adults stomach (C16), colorectum (C18‐20), liver (C22), breast (female) (C50), cervix (C53), ovary (C56), prostate (C61), and non‐Hodgkin lymphomas (C82‐85) between 2014 and 2017. Subjects were randomly selected for active followed‐up to calculate 1‐, 3‐, and 5‐year observed and relative survival (RS) by cancer type and stage. Overall, 53.7% of cases had died within 5 years of diagnosis. Five‐year RS varied by malignancy and ranged from 17.6% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 6.7%–32.6%) for liver cancer to 68% (CI: 51.6%–79.8%) for cancers of the prostate. Stage was assigned for 71.6% of patients (n = 388 of 542), with over half (58%) having advanced stage (III/IV) at diagnosis. For all except liver and ovary, stage was a strong predictor of survival; for example, three‐year observed survival was 90.9% and 44.8% (p‐value:.002) for early and advanced breast cancer, respectively. This study demonstrates that stage specific survival can be obtained from population based cancer registries in sub Saharan Africa, data that are invaluable for international benchmarking, and for local planning and evaluation of cancer control programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The third of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) 90-90-90 targets is to achieve a 90% rate of viral suppression (HIV viral load Methods: We considered three possible distributions for viral loads in ART patients: Weibull, Pareto and reverse Weibull (imposing an upper limit but no lower limit on the log scale). The models were fitted to data on viral load distributions in ART patients in the International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) collaboration (representing seven global regions) and the ART Cohort Collaboration (representing Europe), using separate random effects models for adults and children. The models were validated using data from the World Health Organization (WHO) HIV drug resistance report and the Brazilian national ART programme. Results: Models were calibrated using 921,157 adult and 37,431 paediatric viral load measurements, over 2010-2019. The Pareto and reverse Weibull models provided the best fits to the data, but for all models, the 'shape' parameters for the viral load distributions differed significantly between regions. The Weibull model performed best in the validation against the WHO drug resistance survey data, while the Pareto model produced uncertainty ranges that were too narrow, relative to the validation data. Based on these analyses, we recommend using the reverse Weibull model. For example, if a country reports an 80% rate of viral suppression at Conclusions: Estimates of viral suppression can change substantially depending on the threshold used in defining viral suppression. It is, therefore, important that viral suppression rates are standardized to the same threshold for the purpose of assessing progress towards UNAIDS targets. We have proposed a simple adjustment that allows this, and this has been incorporated into UNAIDS modelling software. Keywords: antiretroviral therapy; HIV; viral load, 1 | INTRODUCTION Antiretroviral treatment (ART) is highly effective in preventing the replication of HIV, which is crucial to restoring the immune systems of people living with HIV [1], improving [...]

Introduction: The Central Africa International epidemiology Database to Evaluate AIDS (CA-IeDEA) is an open observational cohort study investigating impact, progression and long-term outcomes of HIV/AIDS among people living with HIV (PLWH) in Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Republic of Congo (ROC) and Rwanda. We describe trends in demographic, clinical and immunological characteristics as well as antiretroviral therapy (ART) use of patients aged > 15 years entering into HIV care in the participating CA-IeDEA site. Methods: Information on sociodemographic characteristics, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), CD4 cellcount, WHO staging and ART status at entry into care from 2004 through 2018 were extracted from clinic records of patients aged > 15 years enrolling in HIV care at participating clinics in Burundi, Cameroon, DRC, ROC and Rwanda. We assessed trends in patient characteristics at enrolment in HIV care including ART initiation within the first 30 days after enrolment in care and calculated proportions, means and medians (interquartile ranges) for the main variables of interest. Results: Among 69,176 patients in the CA-IeDEA cohort, 39% were from Rwanda, 24% from ROC, 18% from Cameroon, 14% from Burundi and 5% from DRC. More women (66%) than men enrolled in care and subsequently initiated ART. Women were also younger than men (32 vs. 38 years, P < 0.001) at enrolment and at ART initiation. Trends over time show increases in median CD4 cellcount at enrolment from 190 cells/[micro]L in 2004 to 334 cells/[micro]L in 2018 at enrolment. Among those with complete data on CD4 counts (60%), women had a higher median CD4 cell count at care entry than men (229 vs. 249 cells/[micro]L, P < 0.001). Trends in the proportion of patients using ART within 30 days of enrolment at the participating site show an increase from 16% in 2004 to 75% in 2018. Conclusions: Trends from 2004 to 2018 in the characteristics of patients participating in the CA-IeDEA cohort highlight improvements at entry into care and subsequent ART initiation including after the implementation of Treat All guidelines in the participating sites. Keywords: ARV; Africa; cohort studies; HIV epidemiology; low-and middle-income countries; HIV care continuum, 1 INTRODUCTION In 2018 over 37.9 million people aged >15 years were living with HIV globally, of whom 24.5 million (64.6%) were estimated to be accessing antiretroviral therapy (ART) [1]. [...]

: Introduction: Interruptions in treatment pose risks for people with HIV (PWH) and threaten progress in ending the HIV epidemic; however, the COVID‐19 pandemic's impact on HIV service delivery across diverse settings is not broadly documented. Methods: From September 2020 to March 2021, the International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) research consortium surveyed 238 HIV care sites across seven geographic regions to document constraints in HIV service delivery during the first year of the pandemic and strategies for ensuring care continuity for PWH. Descriptive statistics were stratified by national HIV prevalence ( Results: Questions about pandemic‐related consequences for HIV care were completed by 225 (95%) sites in 42 countries with low (n = 82), medium (n = 86) and high (n = 57) HIV prevalence, including low‐ (n = 57), lower‐middle (n = 79), upper‐middle (n = 39) and high‐ (n = 50) income countries. Most sites reported being subject to pandemic‐related restrictions on travel, service provision or other operations (75%), and experiencing negative impacts (76%) on clinic operations, including decreased hours/days, reduced provider availability, clinic reconfiguration for COVID‐19 services, record‐keeping interruptions and suspension of partner support. Almost all sites in low‐prevalence and high‐income countries reported increased use of telemedicine (85% and 100%, respectively), compared with less than half of sites in high‐prevalence and lower‐income settings. Few sites in high‐prevalence settings (2%) reported suspending antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinic services, and many reported adopting mitigation strategies to support adherence, including multi‐month dispensing of ART (95%) and designating community ART pick‐up points (44%). While few sites (5%) reported stockouts of first‐line ART regimens, 10–11% reported stockouts of second‐ and third‐line regimens, respectively, primarily in high‐prevalence and lower‐income settings. Interruptions in HIV viral load (VL) testing included suspension of testing (22%), longer turnaround times (41%) and supply/reagent stockouts (22%), but did not differ across settings. Conclusions: While many sites in high HIV prevalence settings and lower‐income countries reported introducing or expanding measures to support treatment adherence and continuity of care, the COVID‐19 pandemic resulted in disruptions to VL testing and ART supply chains that may negatively affect the quality of HIV care in these settings., INTRODUCTION The COVID‐19 pandemic has had major direct and indirect impacts on population health globally, through disruptions in the accessibility and quality of basic health services [1], in supply chains [...]

: Introduction: Dolutegravir is being scaled up globally as part of antiretroviral therapy (ART), but for people with HIV and tuberculosis co‐infection, its use is complicated by a drug–drug interaction with rifampicin requiring an additional daily dose of dolutegravir. This represents a disadvantage over efavirenz, which does not have a major drug–drug interaction with rifampicin. We sought to describe HIV clinic practices for prescribing concomitant dolutegravir and rifampicin, and characterize virologic outcomes among patients with tuberculosis co‐infection receiving dolutegravir or efavirenz. Methods: Within the four sub‐Saharan Africa regions of the International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS consortium, we conducted a site survey (2021) and a cohort study (2015–2021). The cohort study used routine clinical data and included patients newly initiating or already receiving dolutegravir or efavirenz at the time of tuberculosis diagnosis. Patients were followed from tuberculosis diagnosis until viral suppression ( Results: In the survey, 86 of 90 (96%) HIV clinics in 18 countries reported prescribing dolutegravir to patients who were receiving rifampicin as part of tuberculosis treatment, with 77 (90%) reporting that they use twice‐daily dosing of dolutegravir, of which 74 (96%) reported having 50 mg tablets available to accommodate twice‐daily dosing. The cohort study included 3563 patients in 11 countries, with 67% newly or recently initiating ART. Among patients receiving dolutegravir (n = 465), the cumulative incidence of viral suppression was 58.9% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 54.3–63.3%), switching ART regimen was 4.1% (95% CI: 2.6–6.2%) and loss to program/death was 23.4% (95% CI: 19.7–27.4%). Patients receiving dolutegravir had improved viral suppression compared with patients receiving efavirenz who had a tuberculosis diagnosis before site dolutegravir availability (adjusted subdistribution hazard ratio [aSHR]: 1.47, 95% CI: 1.28–1.68) and after site dolutegravir availability (aSHR 1.28, 95% CI: 1.08–1.51). Conclusions: At a programmatic level, dolutegravir was being widely prescribed in sub‐Saharan Africa for people with HIV and tuberculosis co‐infection with a dose adjustment for the drug–drug interaction with rifampicin. Despite this more complex regimen, our cohort study revealed that dolutegravir did not negatively impact viral suppression., INTRODUCTION Dolutegravir, an integrase strand transfer inhibitor (InSTI), is recommended as part of preferred antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens for people with HIV (PWH) [1, 2]. Globally, HIV treatment programs are [...]

Introduction: Aiming to reach UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets, nearly all sub-Saharan African countries have expanded antiretroviral therapy (ART) to all people living with HIV (PLWH) (Treat All). Few published data exist on viral load testing and viral suppression under Treat All in this region. We assessed proportions of patients with available viral load test results and who were virally suppressed, as well as factors associated with viral suppression, among PLWH in 10 Rwandan health centres after Treat All implementation. Methods: Cross-sectional study during 2018 of adults ([greater than or equal to]15 years) engaged in HIV care at 10 Rwandan health centres. Outcomes were being on ART (available ART initiation date in the study database, with no ART discontinuation prior to 1 January 2018), retained on ART ([greater than or equal to]2 post-ART health centre visits [greater than or equal to]90 days apart during 2018), available viral load test results (vira load measured in 2018 and available in study database) and virally suppressed (most recent 2018 viral load Results: Of 12,238 patients, 7050 (58%) were female and 1028 (8%) were aged 15 to 24 years. Nearly all patients (11,933; 97%) were on ART, of whom 11,198 (94%) were retained on ART. Among patients retained on ART, 10,200 (91%) had available viral load results; of these 9331 (91%) were virally suppressed. Viral suppression was less likely among patients aged 15 to 24 compared to >49 years (adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR): 0.83, 95% CI 0.76 to 0.90 and those with pre-ART CD4 counts of Conclusions: In this large cohort of Rwandan PLWH receiving HIV care after Treat All implementation, patients in study health centres have surpassed the third UNAIDS 90-90-90 target. To ensure all PLWH fully benefit from ART, additiona efforts should focus on improving ART adherence among younger persons. Keywords: Treat All; ARV; HIV care continuum; LMIC; viral load monitoring; viral suppression, 1 | INTRODUCTION With the goal of ending the global AIDS epidemic, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) set the 90-90-90 targets with the aim that by 2020, [...]

Introduction: Nearly all countries in sub-Saharan Africa have adopted policies to provide antiretroviral therapy (ART) to all persons living with HIV (Treat All), though HIV care outcomes of these programmes are not well-described. We estimated changes in ART initiation and retention in care following Treat All implementation in Rwanda in July 2016. Methods: We conducted an interrupted time series analysis of adults enrolling in HIV care at ten Rwandan health centres from July 2014 to September 2017. Using segmented linear regression, we assessed changes in levels and trends of 30-day ART initiation and six-month retention in care before and after Treat All implementation. We compared modelled outcomes with counterfactual estimates calculated by extrapolating baseline trends. Modified Poisson regression models identified predictors of outcomes among patients enrolling after Treat All implementation. Results: Among 2885 patients, 1803 (62.5%) enrolled in care before and 1082 (37.5%) after Treat All implementation. Immediately after Treat All implementation, there was a 31.3 percentage point increase in the predicted probability of 30-day ART initiation (95% CI 15.5, 47.2), with a subsequent increase of 1.1 percentage points per month (95% CI 0.1, 2.1). At the end of the study period, 30-day ART initiation was 47.8 percentage points (95% CI 8.1, 87.8) above what would have been expected under the pre-Treat All trend. For six-month retention, neither the immediate change nor monthly trend after Treat All were statistically significant. While 30-day ART initiation and six-month retention were less likely among patients 15 to 24 versus >24 years, the predicted probability of both outcomes increased significantly for younger patients in each month after Treat All implementation. Conclusions: Implementation of Treat All in Rwanda was associated with a substantial increase in timely ART initiation without negatively impacting care retention. These early findings support Treat All as a strategy to help achieve global HIV targets. Keywords: HIV; Treat All; universal test and treat; antiretroviral therapy; retention in care; Africa, 1 INTRODUCTION Initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) soon after HIV diagnosis substantially decreases HIV-related morbidity, all-cause mortality and HIV transmission [1-3]. Accordingly, in 2015 the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended immediate [...]

Background Dolutegravir is being rolled out globally as part of preferred antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens, including among treatment-experienced patients. The role of viral load (VL) testing before switching patients already on ART to a dolutegravir-containing regimen is less clear in real-world settings. Methods We included patients from the International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS consortium who switched from a nevirapine- or efavirenz-containing regimen to one with dolutegravir. We used multivariable cause-specific hazards regression to estimate the association of the most recent VL test in the 12 months before switching with subsequent outcomes. Results We included 36 393 patients at 37 sites in 5 countries (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda) who switched to dolutegravir from July 2017 through February 2020, with a median follow-up of approximately 11 months. Compared with those who switched with a VL <200 copies/mL, patients without a recent VL test or with a preswitch VL ≥1000 copies/mL had significantly increased hazards of an incident VL ≥1000 copies/mL (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 2.89; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.99–4.19 and aHR, 6.60; 95% CI, 4.36–9.99, respectively) and pulmonary tuberculosis or a World Health Organization clinical stage 4 event (aHR, 4.78; 95% CI, 2.77–8.24 and aHR, 13.97; 95% CI, 6.62–29.50, respectively). Conclusions A VL test before switching to dolutegravir may help identify patients who need additional clinical monitoring and/or adherence support. Further surveillance of patients who switched to dolutegravir with an unknown or unsuppressed VL is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]