Evaluation of a Public Health Referral System to Re-Engage Individuals Living With HIV Who Have Interrupted Antiretroviral Therapy in British Columbia, Canada.

BACKGROUND: In 2016, the British Columbia HIV/AIDS Drug Treatment Program modified its prescriber alert system for antiretroviral therapy (ART) interruptions to include referrals to regional public health nursing teams for direct outreach support for those who remain off treatment for 4 months or longer. We evaluated clinically relevant outcomes of this Re-Engagement and Engagement in Treatment for Antiretroviral Interrupted and Naïve populations (RETAIN) initiative, in comparison to previous time-periods. METHODS: We analyzed ART interruptions triggering alerts in pre-RETAIN (July 2013-April 2016) and post-RETAIN periods (May 2016-October 2017) with follow-up continuing until October 2018. We compared the proportions of those who restarted ART and achieved viral suppression in pre-RETAIN and post-RETAIN periods and the time to ART restart using generalized estimating equations. Cox proportional hazards modelling was used to examine associations with time-to-ART-restart. RESULTS: A total of 1805 individuals experienced ART interruptions triggering 3219 alerts; 2050 in pre-RETAIN and 1169 in post-RETAIN periods. Participants were predominantly men (74%) and had a median duration of ART of 5 years. Among persons who remained interrupted >4 months after an ART interruption alert was sent, the median time from interruption to ART re-initiation declined from 8.7 months to 7.4 months (P < 0.001) from pre-to post-RETAIN periods. Interruptions in the post-RETAIN era were associated with an increased hazard of restarting ART (adjusted hazard ratio 1.51; 95% CI: 1.34 to 1.69). CONCLUSIONS: Public health referrals shortened the length of ART interruptions after alerts sent to prescribers had not resulted in re-engagement. Similar programs should be considered in other jurisdictions.

Horizontal Transmission of Hepatitis B Virus From Mother to Child Due to Immune Escape Despite Immunoprophylaxis.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination starting at birth is approximately 95% effective in preventing mother-to-child transmission to infants born to HBV-infected mothers. A higher risk of transmission is associated with birth to a highly viremic mother, often due to transplacental exposure, while later horizontal transmission is much less common, particularly following complete vaccination. This study reports a case of infection in an older child despite appropriate immunoprophylaxis starting at birth and an apparent protective immune response post-vaccination. Two immune escape mutations within the antigenic determinant of the surface antigen-coding region were observed in the child's dominant HBV sequence, whereas the maternal HBV variant lacked mutations at both sites. Ultra-deep sequencing confirmed the presence of 1 mutation at low levels within the maternal HBV quasispecies population, suggesting early exposure to the child followed by viral evolution resulting in immunoprophylaxis escape and chronic infection.

Alberta's provincial take-home naloxone program: A multi-sectoral and multi-jurisdictional response to overdose.

SETTING: Alberta is a prairie province located in western Canada, with a population of approximately 4.3 million. In 2016, 363 Albertans died from apparent drug overdoses related to fentanyl, an opioid 50-100 times more toxic than morphine. This surpassed the number of deaths from motor vehicle collisions and homicides combined. INTERVENTION: Naloxone is a safe, effective, opioid antagonist that may quickly reverse an opioid overdose. In July 2015, a committee of community-based harm reduction programs in Alberta implemented a geographically restricted take-home naloxone (THN) program. The successes and limitations of this program demonstrated the need for an expanded, multi-sectoral, multi-jurisdictional response. The provincial health authority, Alberta Health Services (AHS), used previously established incident command system processes to coordinate implementation of a provincial THN program. OUTCOMES: Alberta's provincial THN program was implemented on December 23, 2015. This collaborative program resulted in a coordinated response across jurisdictional levels with wide geographical reach. Between December 2015 and December 2016, 953 locations, including many community pharmacies, registered to dispense THN kits, 9572 kits were distributed, and 472 reversals were reported. The provincial supply of THN kits more than tripled from 3000 to 10 000. IMPLICATIONS: Alberta was uniquely poised to deliver a large, province-wide, multi-sectoral and multi-jurisdictional THN program as part of a comprehensive response to increasing opioid-related morbidity and mortality. The speed at which AHS was able to roll out the program was made possible by work done previously and the willingness of multiple jurisdictions to work together to build on and expand the program.