[Impact of mid-level management and support on the performance of a district health system in the Democratic Republic of the Congo]. / Gouvernance et soutien provincial au district de santé en RD-Congo.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to assess the contribution of mid-level management and support practices to the overall performance of a district healthcare system. METHODS: This case study was carried out in the North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was based on analysis of (i) preventive and curative healthcare services and (ii) management and support practices provided from 2000 to 2008. RESULTS: In response to recurring sociopolitical unrest since 1992, the mid-level health system (provincial level) in North Kivu has strengthened management and support practices. The main goals have been to optimize allocation of interventions by external emergency organizations and integration of specialized program activities, to harmonize intervention techniques implemented by external partners, to standardize supervision of sanitary districts with regard to care provider skills, and to adapt strategic options defined by the Ministry of Health to the provincial level. Using this comprehensive approach, the performance of the North Kivu Province in terms of curative and preventive care has exceeded the national average since 2001. Between 2001 and 2008, use of curative services progressed from 0.36 to 0.50 new cases/capita/year. Positive results have also been recorded for infrastructure coverage, essential medicine stock, health information system, and emergency preparedness. CONCLUSION: Stronger mid-level management and support practices have improved care activities in the health district while protecting the population from unstructured interventions by emergency organizations or specialized programs. A comprehensive management approach has also improved the resilience of the district and increased its contribution to Millennium Development Goals.

Factors influencing the difference in HIV prevalence between antenatal clinic and general population in sub-Saharan Africa.

OBJECTIVE: To compare HIV prevalence in antenatal clinics (ANC) and the general population, and to identify factors determining the differences that were found. DESIGN: Cross-sectional surveys in the general population and in ANC in three cities. METHODS: HIV prevalence measured in adults in the community was compared with that measured by sentinel surveillance in ANC in Yaoundé, Cameroon, Kisumu, Kenya, and Ndola, Zambia. RESULTS: In Yaoundé and Ndola, the HIV prevalence in ANC attenders was lower than that in women in the population overall, and for age groups over 20 years. In Kisumu, the HIV prevalence in ANC attenders was similar to that in women in the population at all ages. The only factors identified that influenced the results were age, marital status, parity, schooling, and contraceptive use. The HIV prevalence in women in ANC was similar to that in the combined male and female population aged 15-40 years in Yaoundé and Ndola, but overestimated it in Kisumu. In Yaoundé and Ndola, the overall HIV prevalence in men was approximated by using the age of the father of the child reported by ANC attenders, but this method overestimated the HIV prevalence in Kisumu, and did not give good age-specific estimates. CONCLUSION: Few factors influenced the difference in HIV prevalence between ANC and the population, which could aid the development of adjustment procedures to estimate population HIV prevalence. However, the differences between cities were considerable, making standard adjustments difficult. The method of estimating male HIV prevalence should be tested in other sites.

Educational level is associated with condom use within non-spousal partnerships in four cities of sub-Saharan Africa.

BACKGROUND: Rates of condom use in sub-Saharan Africa have remained too low to curb HIV/sexually transmitted disease (STD) epidemics. A better understanding of the main determinants of condom use would aid promotion. METHODS: Cross-sectional population surveys were conducted in four cities in sub-Saharan Africa: Yaoundé, Cameroon; Cotonou, Benin; Ndola, Zambia; and Kisumu, Kenya. In each city, the aim was to interview a random sample of 1000 men and 1000 women aged 15--49 years, including questions on characteristics of non-spousal partnerships in the past 12 months. RESULTS: Data on condom use were available for 4624 non-spousal partnerships. In the four cities, the proportion of partnerships in which condoms were used always or most of the time ranged from 23.8 to 33.5% when reported by men and from 10.7 to 25.9% when reported by women. Based on the reports from men, condom use was associated with higher educational level of the male partner in Yaoundé [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.76] and Ndola (aOR = 2.94) and with higher educational level of the female partner in Cotonou (aOR = 2.36) and Kisumu (aOR = 2.76). Based on the reports from women, condom use was associated with higher educational level of the female partner in Kisumu (aOR = 2.60) and Ndola (aOR = 4.50) and with higher educational level of the male partner in Yaoundé (aOR = 3.32). Associations with other determinants varied across cities and for men and women. CONCLUSIONS: Education was found to be a key determinant of condom use in all four cities. This suggests that educational level increases response to condom promotion and highlights the need for special efforts to reach men and women with low educational attainment.

Male circumcision and HIV infection in four cities in sub-Saharan Africa.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the role of male circumcision in the spread of HIV infection in four urban populations in sub-Saharan Africa. DESIGN AND METHODS: A cross-sectional population based study was conducted in four cities in sub-Saharan Africa with different levels of HIV infection. HIV prevalence among adults was relatively low in Cotonou (Benin) and in Yaoundé (Cameroon), and exceeded 25% in Kisumu (Kenya) and in Ndola (Zambia). In each city, a random sample was taken of men and women aged 15-49 years from the general population. Consenting study participants were interviewed about their sociodemographic characteristics and their sexual behaviour, and were tested for HIV, herpes simplex virus type 2, syphilis, gonorrhoea and chlamydial infection. Men underwent a genital examination. RESULTS: In Cotonou and in Yaoundé, the two low HIV prevalence cities, 99% of men were circumcised. In Kisumu 27.5% of men were circumcised, and in Ndola this proportion was 9%. In Kisumu, the prevalence of HIV infection was 9.9% among circumcised men and 26.6% among uncircumcised men. After controlling for socio-demographic characteristics, sexual behaviour and other sexually transmitted infections, the protective effect of male circumcision remained with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.26 (95% confidence interval = 0.12-0.56). In Ndola, the prevalence of HIV infection was 25.0% in circumcised men and 26.0% in uncircumcised men. The power was insufficient to adjust for any differences in sexual behaviour. CONCLUSIONS: The differences in epidemic spread of HIV are likely to be due to differences in the probability of transmission of HIV during sexual exposure as well as differences in sexual behaviour. Male circumcision is one of the factors influencing the transmission of HIV during sexual intercourse, and this study confirms the population level association between HIV and lack of male circumcision, as well as a strong individual level association in Kisumu, the only city with sufficient power to analyze this association.

Why do young women have a much higher prevalence of HIV than young men? A study in Kisumu, Kenya and Ndola, Zambia.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the factors responsible for the disparity in HIV prevalence between young men and women in two urban populations in Africa with high HIV prevalence. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey, aiming to include 1000 men and 1000 women aged 15-49 years in Kisumu, Kenya and Ndola, Zambia. METHODS: Participants were interviewed and tested for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Analyses compared the marital and non-marital partnership patterns in young men and women, and estimated the likelihood of having an HIV-infected partner. RESULTS: Overall, 26% of individuals in Kisumu and 28% in Ndola were HIV-positive. In both sites, HIV prevalence in women was six times that in men among sexually active 1 5-19 year olds, three times that in men among 20-24 year olds, and equal to that in men among 25-49 year olds. Age at sexual debut was similar in men and women, and men had more partners than women. Women married younger than men and marriage was a risk factor for HIV, but the disparity in HIV prevalence was present in both married and unmarried individuals. Women often had older partners, and men rarely had partners much older than themselves. Nevertheless, the estimated prevalence of HIV in the partners of unmarried men aged under 20 was as high as that for unmarried women. HIV prevalence was very high even among women reporting one lifetime partner and few episodes of sexual intercourse. CONCLUSIONS: Behavioural factors could not fully explain the discrepancy in HIV prevalence between men and women. Despite the tendency for women to have older partners, young men were at least as likely to encounter an HIV-infected partner as young women. It is likely that the greater susceptibility of women to HIV infection is an important factor both in explaining the male-female discrepancy in HIV prevalence and in driving the epidemic. Herpes simplex virus type 2 infection, which is more prevalent in young women than in young men, is probably one of the factors that increases women's susceptibility to HIV infection.

The epidemiology of gonorrhoea, chlamydial infection and syphilis in four African cities.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the epidemiology of gonorrhoea, chlamydial infection and syphilis in four cities in sub-Saharan Africa; two with a high prevalence of HIV infection (Kisumu, Kenya and Ndola, Zambia), and two with a relatively low HIV prevalence (Cotonou, Benin and Yaoundé, Cameroon). DESIGN: Cross-sectional study, using standardized methods, including a standardized questionnaire and standardized laboratory tests, in four cities in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: In each city, a random sample of about 2000 adults aged 15-49 years was taken. Consenting men and women were interviewed about their socio-demographic characteristics and their sexual behaviour, and were tested for HIV, syphilis, herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), gonorrhoea, chlamydial infection, and (women only) Trichomonas vaginalis infection. Risk factor analyses were carried out for chlamydial infection and syphilis seroreactivity. RESULTS: The prevalence of gonorrhoea ranged between 0% in men in Kisumu and 2.7% in women in Yaoundé. Men and women in Yaoundé had the highest prevalence of chlamydial infection (5.9 and 9.4%, respectively). In the other cities, the prevalence of chlamydial infection ranged between 1.3% in women in Cotonou and 4.5% in women in Kisumu. In Ndola, the prevalence of syphilis seroreactivity was over 10% in both men and women; it was around 6% in Yaoundé, 3-4% in Kisumu, and 1-2% in Cotonou. Chlamydial infection was associated with rate of partner change for both men and women, and with young age for women. At the population level, the prevalence of chlamydial infection correlated well with reported rates of partner change. Positive syphilis serology was associated with rate of partner change and with HSV-2 infection. The latter association could be due to biological interaction between syphilis and HSV-2 or to residual confounding by sexual behaviour. At the population level, there was no correlation between prevalence of syphilis seroreactivity and reported rates of partner change. CONCLUSION: Differences in prevalence of chlamydial infection could be explained by differences in reported sexual behaviour, but the variations in prevalence of syphilis seroreactivity remained unexplained. More research is needed to better understand the epidemiology of sexually transmitted infections in Africa.

The epidemiology of trichomoniasis in women in four African cities.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the epidemiology of Trichomonas vaginalis infection and its association with HIV infection, in women in four African cities with different levels of HIV infection. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study, using standardized methods, including a standardized questionnaire and standardized laboratory tests, in four cities in sub-Saharan Africa: two with a high prevalence of HIV infection (Kisumu, Kenya and Ndola, Zambia), and two with a relatively low prevalence of HIV (Cotonou, Benin and Yaoundé, Cameroon). METHODS: In each city, a random sample of about 2000 adults aged 15-49 years was taken. Consenting men and women were interviewed about their socio-demographic characteristics and their sexual behaviour, and were tested for HIV, syphilis, herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), gonorrhoea, chlamydial infection, and (women only) T. vaginalis infection. Risk factor analyses were carried out for trichomoniasis for each city separately. Multivariate analysis, however, was only possible for Yaoundé, Kisumu and Ndola. RESULTS: The prevalence of trichomoniasis was significantly higher in the high HIV prevalence cities (29.3% in Kisumu and 34.3% in Ndola) than in Cotonou (3.2%) and Yaoundé (17.6%). Risk of trichomoniasis was increased in women who reported more lifetime sex partners. HIV infection was an independent risk factor for trichomonas infection in Yaoundé [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.9-3.7] and Kisumu (adjusted OR = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.1-2.7), but not in Ndola. A striking finding was the high prevalence (40%) of trichomonas infection in women in Ndola who denied that they had ever had sex. CONCLUSION: Trichomoniasis may have played a role in the spread of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa and may be one of the factors explaining the differences in levels of HIV infection between different regions in Africa. The differences in prevalence of trichomoniasis between the four cities remain unexplained, but we lack data on the epidemiology of trichomoniasis in men. More research is required on the interaction between trichomoniasis and HIV infection, the epidemiology of trichomoniasis in men, and trichomonas infections in women who deny sexual activity.

HIV-1 subtypes and the HIV epidemics in four cities in sub-Saharan Africa.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the distribution of HIV-1 subtypes in two cities with high HIV prevalence (Kisumu, Kenya and Ndola, Zambia) and two with relatively low prevalence (Cotonou, Benin and Yaoundé, Cameroon), and to examine whether the differences in prevalence of HIV infection could be due to the predominance within the infected populations of subtypes with differing efficiency of heterosexual transmission. METHODS: For around 100 randomly selected HIV-positive sera from the general population and 60 from sex workers in each city, the HIV-1 subtype was determined in the envfragment. For between 19 and 52 of the sera from the general population and 20-32 sera from sex workers, the subtype was also determined in the gag fragment. RESULTS: Over 70% of infections in Cotonou, Yaoundé and Kisumu were with subtype A (by env). However, around one-half of subtype A infections in Cotonou and Yaoundé were found to be the circulating recombinant form CRF02_AG when the gag fragment was also examined. A large number of different HIV strains were found in Yaoundé, including some belonging to group O. Over 20% of infections in Kisumu and around 10% in Yaoundé were with isolated intersubtype recombinant forms. All but a few infections in Ndola were with subtype C and no recombinants were found. CONCLUSIONS: The pattern of distribution of subtypes that we found does not suggest that differences in circulating subtypes play a major role in explaining the differences in prevalence of HIV-1 infection between the four cities. The emergence and spread of recombinants requires close surveillance to adapt testing strategies if needed, to inform vaccine development and to ascertain their role in the future spread of HIV.

Ecological and individual level analysis of risk factors for HIV infection in four urban populations in sub-Saharan Africa with different levels of HIV infection.

OBJECTIVE: To identify factors that could explain differences in rate of spread of HIV between different regions in sub-Saharan Africa. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: The study took place in two cities with a relatively low HIV prevalence (Cotonou, Benin and Yaoundé, Cameroon), and two cities with a high HIV prevalence (Kisumu, Kenya and Ndola, Zambia). In each of these cities, a representative sample was taken of about 1000 men and 1000 women aged 15-49 years. Consenting men and women were interviewed about their socio-demographic background and sexual behaviour; and were tested for HIV, herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), syphilis, Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoea infection, and (women only) Trichomonas vaginalis. Analysis of risk factors for HIV infection was carried out for each city and each sex separately. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) were obtained by multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: The prevalence of HIV infection in sexually active men was 3.9% in Cotonou, 4.4% in Yaoundé, 21.1% in Kisumu, and 25.4% in Ndola. For women, the corresponding figures were 4.0, 8.4, 31.6 and 35.1%. High-risk sexual behaviour was not more common in the high HIV prevalence cities than in the low HIV prevalence cities, but HSV-2 infection and lack of circumcision were consistently more prevalent in the high HIV prevalence cities than in the low HIV prevalence cities. In multivariate analysis, the association between HIV infection and sexual behavioural factors was variable across the four cities. Syphilis was associated with HIV infection in Ndola in men [aOR = 2.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.5-4.91 and in women (aOR = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.1-2.6). HSV-2 infection was strongly associated with HIV infection in all four cities and in both sexes (aOR ranging between 4.4 and 8.0). Circumcision had a strong protective effect against the acquisition of HIV by men in Kisumu (aOR = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.12-0.52). In Ndola, no association was found between circumcision and HIV infection but sample sizes were too small to fully adjust for confounding. CONCLUSION: The strong association between HIV and HSV-2 and male circumcision, and the distribution of the risk factors, led us to conclude that differences in efficiency of HIV transmission as mediated by biological factors outweigh differences in sexual behaviour in explaining the variation in rate of spread of HIV between the four cities.

The epidemiology of HSV-2 infection and its association with HIV infection in four urban African populations.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate age- and sex-specific herpes simplex virus type-2 (HSV-2) prevalence in urban African adult populations and to identify factors associated with infection. DESIGN AND METHODS: Cross-sectional, population-based samples of about 2000 adults interviewed in each of the following cities: Cotonou, Benin; Yaoundé, Cameroon; Kisumu, Kenya and Ndola, Zambia. Consenting study participants were tested for HIV, HSV-2 and other sexually transmitted infections. RESULTS: HSV-2 prevalence was over 50% among women and over 25% among men in Yaoundé, Kisumu and Ndola, with notably high rates of infection among young women in Kisumu and Ndola (39% and 23%, respectively, among women aged 15-19 years). The prevalence in Cotonou was lower (30% in women and 12% in men). Multivariate analysis showed that HSV-2 prevalence was significantly associated with older age, ever being married, and number of lifetime sexual partners, in almost all cities and both sexes. There was also a strong, consistent association with HIV infection. Among women, the adjusted odds ratios for the association between HSV-2 and HIV infections ranged from 4.0 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.0-8.0] in Kisumu to 5.5 (95% CI = 1.7-18) in Yaoundé, and those among men ranged from 4.6 (95% CI = 2.7-7.7) in Ndola to 7.9 (95% CI = 4.1-15) in Kisumu. CONCLUSIONS: HSV-2 infection is highly prevalent in these populations, even at young ages, and is strongly associated with HIV at an individual level. At a population level, HSV-2 prevalence was highest in Kisumu and Ndola, the cities with the highest HIV rates, although rates were also high among women in Yaoundé, where there are high rates of partner change but relatively little HIV infection. The high prevalence of both infections among young people underlines the need for education and counselling among adolescents.

Multicentre study on factors determining differences in rate of spread of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa: methods and prevalence of HIV infection.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to explore whether the differences in rate of spread of HIV in different regions in sub-Saharan Africa could be explained by differences in sexual behaviour and/or factors influencing the probability of HIV transmission during sexual intercourse. METHODS: A cross-sectional, population-based study was conducted in two cities with a high HIV prevalence (Kisumu in Kenya and Ndola in Zambia) and two cities with a relatively low HIV prevalence (Cotonou in Benin and Yaoundé in Cameroon). In each of these cities, approximately 1000 men and 1000 women, aged 15-49 years, were randomly selected from the general population. Consenting men and women were interviewed and were tested for HIV, syphilis, herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), gonorrhoea, chlamydial infection and trichomoniasis (the latter for women only). In addition, a survey was conducted on a random sample of 300 sex workers in each city. The research instruments, including the questionnaires and the laboratory procedures, were standardized to permit comparison of results. RESULTS: The numbers of men interviewed were 1021 in Cotonou, 973 in Yaoundé, 829 in Kisumu, and 720 in Ndola. The corresponding figures for women were 1095, 1116, 1060 and 1130. In Yaoundé, Kisumu and Ndola, the response rates for men were lower than for women due to failure to make contact with eligible men. The proportion of eligible women who were interviewed was 86% in Yaoundé, and 89% in Kisumu and Ndola. In Yaoundé, 76% of eligible men were interviewed, along with 82% in Kisumu and 75% in Ndola. The prevalence of HIV infection in men was 3.3% in Cotonou, 4.1% in Yaoundé, 19.8% in Kisumu and 23.2% in Ndola. For women, the respective figures were 3.4, 7.8, 30.1 and 31.9%. The prevalence of HIV infection among women aged 15-19 years was 23.0% in Kisumu and 15.4% in Ndola. Among women in Kisumu who had their sexual debut 5 years before the interview, the prevalence of HIV infection was 46%; in Ndola, it was 59%. Among sex workers, the prevalence of HIV infection was 57.5% in Cotonou, 34.4% in Yaoundé, 74.7% in Kisumu and 68.7% in Ndola. CONCLUSIONS: The HIV prevalence rates in the general population confirmed our preliminary assessment of the level of HIV infection in the four cities, which was based on estimates of HIV prevalence from sentinel surveillance among pregnant women. The very high prevalence of HIV infection among young women in Kisumu and Ndola calls for urgent intervention.

Decreased fertility among HIV-1-infected women attending antenatal clinics in three African cities.

Population HIV prevalence estimates rely heavily on sentinel surveillance in antenatal clinics (ANCs), but because HIV reduces fertility, these estimates are biased. To aid interpretation of such data, we estimated HIV-associated fertility reduction among pregnant women in ANCs in Yaoundé (Cameroon), Kisumu (Kenya), and Ndola (Zambia). Data collection followed existing HIV sentinel surveillance procedures as far as possible. HIV prevalence among the women was 5.5% in Yaoundé, 30.6% in Kisumu, and 27.3% in Ndola. The birth interval was prolonged in HIV-positive multiparous women compared with HIV-negative multiparous women in all three sites: adjusted hazard ratios of pregnancy were 0.84 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.62-1.1) in Yaoundé, 0.82 (95% CI: 0.70-0.96) in Kisumu, and 0.74 (95% CI: 0.61-0.90) in Ndola, implying estimated reductions in the risk of pregnancy in HIV-positive women of between 16% and 26%. For primiparous women, the interval between sexual debut and birth was longer in HIV-positive women than in HIV-negative women in all sites, although the association was lost in Ndola after adjusting for age and other factors. Consistent results in different study sites help in the development of standard methods for improving ANC-based surveillance estimates of HIV prevalence. These may be easier to devise for multiparous women than for primiparous women.

Simplified strategy for detection of recombinant human immunodeficiency virus type 1 group M isolates by gag/env heteroduplex mobility assay. Study Group on Heterogeneity of HIV Epidemics in African Cities.

We developed a heteroduplex mobility assay in the gag gene (gag HMA) for the identification of group M subtypes A to H. The assay covers the region coding for amino acid 132 of p24 to amino acid 20 of p7 (according to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 [HIV-1] ELI, 460 bp). The gag HMA was compared with sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of an evaluation panel of 79 HIV-1 group M isolates isolated from infected individuals from different geographic regions. Application of gag HMA in combination with env HMA on 252 HIV-1- positive plasma samples from Bénin, Cameroon, Kenya, and Zambia revealed a high prevalence of a variety of intersubtype recombinants in Yaoundé, Cameroon (53.8%); Kisumu, Kenya (26.8%); and Cotonou, Bénin (41%); no recombinants were identified among the samples from Ndola, Zambia. The AG(IbNG) circulating recombinant form, as determined by gag HMA, was found to be the most common intersubtype recombinant in Yaoundé (39.4%) and Cotonou (38.5%). Using a one-tube reverse transcriptase PCR protocol, this gag HMA in combination with env HMA is a useful tool for rapidly monitoring the prevalence of the various genetic subtypes as well as of recombinants of HIV-1. Moreover, this technology can easily be applied in laboratories in developing countries.