Depression in caregivers of status-naïve pediatric HIV patients participating in a status disclosure study in Haiti and the Dominican Republic: preliminary report.

A pilot study is underway to assess safety and acceptability of an intervention to disclose their HIV infection status to status-naïve pediatric antiretroviral therapy patients in Hispaniola [the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic (DR)]. Of 22 Haiti and 47 DR caregivers recruited to date, 68.2% Haiti and 34.0% DR caregivers had clinically significant depressive symptomatology at the time of enrollment (p = 0.008). Depressive symptom prevalence was higher in Haiti caregivers who were female (81.3% vs. 0 in males; p = 0.02) and in DR caregivers who were patients' mothers (50.0%) or grandmothers (66.7%; 56.0% combined) than others (9.1%), (p < 0.001). Internalized stigma was more commonly reported by Haiti (85.7%) than DR (53.2%; p = 0.01) caregivers; 56.4% of Haiti and DR caregivers reporting internalized stigma vs. 26.1% of caregivers denying it had depressive symptoms (p = 0.02). Depression is common in Hispaniola caregivers possibly affecting disclosure timing. Study participation presents opportunities for addressing caregiver depression.

A successful model for rapid triage of symptomatic patients at an HIV testing site in Haiti.

BACKGROUND: Attrition from HIV testing to antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation is high. Strengthening linkages in care from testing to treatment may reduce attrition. This study addresses the question: can social workers accurately identify symptomatic patients during HIV testing and fast-track them for rapid provision of services? METHODS: This study took place at the Haitian Study Group for Kaposi's Sarcoma and Opportunistic Infections (GHESKIO) in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. We compared symptoms reported by social workers at HIV testing using a checklist to diagnoses made by physicians on an intake exam to determine if social workers could accurately identify symptomatic patients. RESULTS: Among the 437 HIV-positive patients included in the study, social workers reported stage-associated symptoms in 100% of patients diagnosed with WHO stage 3 or 4 conditions and in 87% of patients with WHO stage 1 or 2 conditions. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of social worker-reported symptoms for the diagnosis of a WHO stage 3 or 4 condition was 100%, 47%, 31%, and 100%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Social workers can identify symptomatic patients at HIV testing and refer them for fast-tracked services. This strategy may increase the rate of ART initiation among eligible patients.

Community-Based HIV and Health Testing for High-Risk Adolescents and Youth.

Adolescents account for 40% of new HIV infections, and HIV testing strategies to increase uptake of testing are needed. A community-based adolescent and youth HIV and health testing campaign was conducted in seven slum neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, from December 2014 to September 2015. Community health workers provided community sensitization and recruited 10- to 24-year-olds to test for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea/chlamydia, and to screen for tuberculosis (TB) and pregnancy. HIV-infected individuals were escorted to the GHESKIO HIV clinic for same-day enrollment in care. Among 3425 individuals eligible for testing, 3348 (98%) accepted an HIV test. HIV prevalence was 2.65% (n = 89). Median age was 19 [interquartile range (IQR) 17-20]; 73% were female. HIV prevalence was 0.6-7.4% across slum neighborhoods. All HIV-infected individuals enrolled in care the same day as testing; median CD4 was 529 cells/µL [IQR 363-761]. Syphilis prevalence was 2.60% (65/2536) and gonorrhea/chlamydia prevalence was 6.25% (96/1536). Among 168 (5%) individuals who reported TB symptoms, 7.7% (13/168) had microbiologically confirmed disease. One hundred twenty-nine females (5% of all females) were pregnant. This community-based testing campaign identified an adolescent and youth population with an HIV prevalence six times higher than the estimated national adolescent HIV prevalence (0.4%) in Haiti, including perinatally infected adolescents. This type of community-based campaign for HIV testing within a package of services can serve as a model for other resource-poor settings to identify high-risk adolescents and youth, and curb the global HIV epidemic among adolescents.

Impact of a youth-friendly HIV clinic: 10 years of adolescent outcomes in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

INTRODUCTION: Adolescents account for over 40% of new HIV infections in Haiti. This analysis compares outcomes among HIV-positive adolescents before and after implementation of an adolescent HIV clinic in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. METHODS: We conducted a cohort study using programmatic data among HIV-positive adolescents aged 13 to 19. Data from 41,218 adolescents who were HIV tested from January 2003 to December 2012 were included. Outcomes across the HIV care cascade were assessed before and after implementation of an adolescent clinic (2009), including HIV testing, enrolment in care, assessment for antiretroviral therapy (ART) eligibility, ART initiation and 12-month retention. Pre-ART outcomes were assessed 12 months after HIV testing. Factors associated with pre-ART and ART attrition were identified through multivariable competing risk and Cox proportional hazards regression modelling. RESULTS: Cumulatively, 1672 (4.1%) adolescents tested HIV positive (80% female, median age 16 years). Retention by cascade step comparing pre- and post-clinic included the following: 86% versus 87% of patients enrolled in care, 61% versus 79% were assessed for ART eligibility, 85% versus 92% initiated ART and 68% versus 66% were retained 12 months after ART initiation. Pre-ART attrition decreased from 61% pre-clinic to 50% post-clinic (p<0.001). Pre-ART attrition was associated with being female (sub-distributional hazard ratio (sHR): 1.59; CI: 1.31-1.93), syphilis diagnosis (sHR: 1.47; CI: 1.16-1.85) and slum residence (sHR: 0.84; CI: 0.72-0.97). ART attrition was associated with syphilis diagnosis (hazard ratio (HR): 2.23; CI: 1.35-3.68) and CD4 <50 cells/µL (HR: 1.88; CI: 1.15-3.06). CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a youth-friendly adolescent clinic improved retention in HIV care among adolescents, particularly in the assessment of ART eligibility and ART initiation. Additional interventions are needed to improve retention among pre-ART patients and support long-term retention among ART patients.

Disclosure of their HIV status to perinatally infected youth using the adapted Blasini disclosure model in Haiti and the Dominican Republic: preliminary results.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the safety, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a culturally-adapted disclosure intervention for perinatally HIV-infected combined antiretroviral therapy patients in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. DESIGN: A quasi-experimental trial was conducted comparing caregiver-youth pairs who completed the intervention [adapted Blasini disclosure model (aBDM)] to pairs who discontinued aBDM participation before disclosure. aBDM consists of five components: structured healthcare worker training; one-on one pre-disclosure intervention/education sessions for youth (describing pediatric chronic diseases including cancer, diabetes and HIV) and for caregivers (strengthening capacity for disclosure); a scheduled supportive disclosure session; and one-on-one postdisclosure support for caregivers and youth. METHODS: Caregivers of nondisclosed combined antiretroviral therapy patients aged 10.0-17.8 years were invited to participate. Data were collected by separate one-on-one face-to-face interviews of caregivers and youth by study staff and medical record review by pediatricians at enrollment and 3 months after disclosure or after intervention discontinuation. RESULTS: To date, 65 Dominican Republic and 27 Haiti caregiver-youth pairs have enrolled. At enrollment, only 46.4% of youth had viral suppression and 43.4% of caregivers had clinically significant depressive symptomatology. To date, two serious study-related adverse events have occurred. Seven of the 92 (7.6%, 6 in the Dominican Republic) enrolled pairs discontinued participation before disclosure and 39 had completed postdisclosure participation. Median plasma HIV-RNA concentration was lower in youth who completed aBDM than in youth who discontinued participation before aBDM disclosure (<40 versus 8673 copies/ml; P = 0.027). Completers expressed considerable satisfaction with aBDM. CONCLUSION: Preliminary results suggest safety, acceptability, and possible effectiveness of the aBDM.

Attrition from HIV testing to antiretroviral therapy initiation among patients newly diagnosed with HIV in Haiti.

OBJECTIVE: We report rates and risk factors for attrition in the first cohort of patients followed through all stages from HIV testing to antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation. DESIGN: Cohort study of all patients diagnosed with HIV between January and June 2009. METHODS: We calculated the proportion of patients who completed CD4 cell counts and initiated ART or remained in pre-ART care during 2 years of follow-up and assessed predictors of attrition. RESULTS: Of 1427 patients newly diagnosed with HIV, 680 (48%) either initiated ART or were retained in pre-ART care for the subsequent 2 years. One thousand eighty-three patients (76%) received a CD4 cell count, and 973 (90%) returned for result; 297 (31%) had CD4 cell count <200 cells per microliter, and of these, 256 (86%) initiated ART. Among 429 patients with CD4 >350 cells per microliter, 215 (50%) started ART or were retained in pre-ART care. Active tuberculosis was associated with not only lower odds of attrition before CD4 cell count [odds ratio (OR): 0.08; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.03 to 0.25] but also higher odds of attrition before ART initiation (OR: 2.46; 95% CI: 1.29 to 4.71). Lower annual income (≤US $125) was associated with higher odds of attrition before CD4 cell count (OR: 1.65; 95% CI: 1.25 to 2.19) and before ART initiation among those with CD4 cell count >350 cells per microliter (OR: 1.74; 95% CI: 1.20 to 2.52). After tracking patients through a national database, the retention rate increased to only 57%. CONCLUSIONS: Fewer than half of patients newly diagnosed with HIV initiate ART or remain in pre-ART care for 2 years in a clinic providing comprehensive services. Additional efforts to improve retention in pre-ART are critically needed.