ABSTRACT
Swaziland has the highest HIV prevalence in the world. To mitigate the spread and devastation caused by HIV and to improve the wellbeing of people living with HIV, the country has adopted the latest available HIV prevention campaigns, including "Test and Start". Because evidence from randomised controlled trials has demonstrated a significant risk reduction in HIV transmission when HIV-positive people start antiretroviral therapy (ART) early, Swaziland aims to find these people and link them to treatment. This study presents findings regarding the perceptions of this promising HIV-prevention intervention among men aged 1769 years. A combination of qualitative methods including focus group discussions (12), in-depth interviews (17), informal conversations and participant observation (21) were used to collect data in two peri-urban communities in 20132014. Findings illustrate that men still fear taking an HIV test because of a relatively high probability of a positive test which some still interpret as a death sentence. Other potential barriers to the effectiveness of Test and Start programmes include lack of hospitality in hospitals, fear of starting treatment early related to side effects of ART, poverty, and lack of trust in the financial stability of the Swazi government. We argue that several social factors need to be considered for the Test and Start programme to be more effective
Subject(s)
Anti-Retroviral Agents/administration & dosage , Eswatini , HIV Infections/diagnosis , HIV Infections/therapy , HIV Infections/transmission , Men , PerceptionABSTRACT
Objective:To estimate rates of completion of CD4+ lymphocyte testing (CD4 testing) within 12 weeks of testing positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) at a large HIV/AIDS clinic in South Africa, and to identify clinical and demographic predictors for completion.Methods:In our study, CD4 testing was considered complete once a patient had retrieved the test results. To determine the rate of CD4 testing completion, we reviewed the records of all clinic patients who tested positive for HIV between January 2008 and February 2009. We identified predictors for completion through multivariate logistic regression.Findings:Of the 416 patients who tested positive for HIV, 84.6% initiated CD4 testing within the study timeframe. Of these patients, 54.3% were immediately eligible for antiretroviral therapy (ART) because of a CD4 cell count ⤠200/µl, but only 51.3% of the patients in this category completed CD4 testing within 12 weeks of HIV testing. Among those not immediately eligible for ART (CD4 cells > 200/µl), only 14.9% completed CD4 testing within 12 weeks. Overall, of HIV+ patients who initiated CD4 testing, 65% did not complete it within 12 weeks of diagnosis. The higher the baseline CD4 cell count, the lower the odds of completing CD4 testing within 12 weeks.Conclusion:Patient losses between HIV testing, baseline CD4 cell count and the start of care and ART are high. As a result, many patients receive ART too late. Health information systems that link testing programmes with care and treatment programmes are needed
Subject(s)
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/drug therapy , Anti-Retroviral Agents/administration & dosage , HIV Seropositivity/diagnosis , HIV Seropositivity/drug therapy , HIV Seropositivity/immunology , South Africa , World Health OrganizationABSTRACT
Afin d'améliorer l'accès aux antirétroviraux dans les pays à ressources limitées, l'OMS recommande des schémas thérapeutiques simplifiés pour permettre une mise en Åuvre efficace des programmes de traitement dans ces pays tout en limitant les dépenses. Cependant le choix de l'un de ces schémas thérapeutiques devrait intervenir au niveau national. L'étude est une modélisation de l'aide à la décision thérapeutique et pharmaco-économique basée sur le logiciel-modèle Puzzle du Laboratoire d'Analyse des Systèmes de Santé de Lyon (France). Notre objectif principal est d'établir une classification préférentielle de ces trithérapies en fonction du paramètre coût-efficacité dans la prise en charge du VIH/SIDA dans ces pays. Les différentes options de trithérapies ont été groupées en plusieurs stratégies thérapeutiques selon les critères suivants: âge du patient, type de VIH, co-infection VIH/tuberculose, grossesse ou risque de grossesse, type de toxicité et substitution, échec thérapeutique. Nous avons retenu sept principaux critères de comparaison entre les différentes trithérapies. Ces critères sont inspirés des recommandations de l'OMS pour un choix efficient. Il s'agit de : l'efficacité, la toxicité, la surveillance biologique de la tolérance, la facilité ou la complexité de la prise quotidienne, l'effet repas, la chaîne de froid, le coût du traitement journalier de la trithérapie. Ces critères ont un lien direct ou indirect avec les résultats thérapeutiques et le coût global de la prise en charge médicamenteuse du VIH/SIDA. Les résultats fournis par le logiciel se présentent sous forme d'échelle coût-efficacité évoluant de la trithérapie la moins coût/efficace à la trithérapie la plus coût-efficace dans une stratégie thérapeutique donnée