RESUMO
Community-based organizations (CBOs) are one of the initiatives implemented in Cameroon to improve access to antiretroviral treatment and influence retention in treatment centers. Despite its importance in the decongestion of patients in health facilities, we do not have data to evaluate the overall impact of these organizations. We conducted a two-part observational study. The first part was a descriptive cross-sectional study, where we included patients screened and initiated on anti-retroviral treatment (ART) either by the approved Treatment center (ATC) of Yaoundé Central Hospital (YCH) or by any of our CBOs in 2020. Then, the second part was a retrospective cohort-type study including patients from the 2015 cohort followed up from 2018 to 2020 in order to assess viral load suppression. As regards the first "90", 7,234 screening tests were performed by CBOs in 2020 out of the 28,302 screening tests registered at the YCH, giving a contribution of 25.6%. From the 7,234 screening tests performed by CBOs, 314 people had an HIV-positive result and 230 (73.34%) were linked to ART through CBOs. From the 28,302 screening tests performed at YCH, 1,089 people had an HIV-positive test, and only 354 (32.50%) were linked to ART, giving a significant difference in the link to ART (P-value < 0.00). Concerning the 3rd ''90'', the viral load suppression rates were respectively in CBOs and at YCH of (95.12% vs 90.54%, RR= 0.51; P-value= 0.27 at 12 months); (95.96% vs 95.34%, relative risk (RR)= 0.85; P-value= 0.81 at 24 months); and (96.91% vs 94.15%, RR= 0.52; P-value = 0.24 at 36 months). In conclusion, we say that the follow-up of patients living with HIV in the community does not negatively affect the evolution of the disease as one might think.
