Scale-up of antiretroviral treatment access among people living with HIV in Rivers State, Nigeria, 2019 - 2020

Andrew T. Boyd, Obinna Ogbanufe, Chibuzor Onyenuobi, Ifunanya Mgbakor, Pamela Bachanas, Olayemi Olupitan, Clifford Umeh, Adeoye Adegboye, Golden Owhonda, Solomon Odafe, Ibrahim Jahun, Patrick Dakum, Charles Mensah, Jerry Gwamna, Dennis Onotu, Emilio Dirlikov, Michelle Williams-Sherlock, Chukwuemeka Okolo, Tarfa Verinumbe, Stanley IdakwoMakshwar U. Kumtap, Tedd Ellerbrock, Mahesh Swaminathan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective:The aim of this study was to describe and evaluate the impact of the programme intervention of the Rivers State Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) Surge, a collaboration between the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the State Ministry of Health, to increase HIV case-finding and ART access in Rivers State, the state with the largest ART gap among people living with HIV (PWH) in Nigeria.Design:During April 2019-September 2020, the intervention included six specific strategies: using local government area-level ART gap analysis to guide case-finding; expanding targeted community testing; tailoring comprehensive key population HIV services; engaging HIV treatment programme stakeholders; synchronizing team efforts; and using near real-time data for programme action.Methods:Weekly reported facility and community data on tests conducted, PWH diagnosed, and PWH initiated on ART were aggregated. The total number of PWH maintained on ART was reported quarterly.Results:During May 2019-September 2020, the weekly number of newly diagnosed PWH initiated on ART supported by PEPFAR in Rivers State increased from 82 to 1723. During October 2019-September 2020, the monthly number of people screened for HIV testing eligibility in the community increased from 44 000 to 360 000. During April 2019-September 2020, the total number of PWH on ART supported by PEPFAR statewide increased by 3.8 times, from 26 041 to 99 733.Conclusion:The strategies applied by HIV program stakeholders contributed to scale-up of PWH identification and ART linkage within the Rivers State ART Surge. Continued gains through time indicate the importance of the application of a quality improvement approach to maintain programme flexibility and effectiveness.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1127-1134
Number of pages8
JournalAIDS
Volume35
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jun 2021
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • AIDS
  • Nigeria
  • US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • antiretroviral agents
  • quality improvement

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Scale-up of antiretroviral treatment access among people living with HIV in Rivers State, Nigeria, 2019 - 2020'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this