Evidence of improving antiretroviral therapy treatment delays: an analysis of eight years of programmatic outcomes in Blantyre, Malawi.

BACKGROUND: Impressive achievements have been made towards achieving universal coverage of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the effects of rapid ART scale-up on delays between HIV diagnosis and treatment initiation have not been well described. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study covering eight years of ART initiators (2004-2011) was conducted at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) in Blantyre, Malawi. The time between most recent positive HIV test and ART initiation was calculated and temporal trends in delay to initiation were described. Factors associated with time to initiation were investigated using multivariate regression analysis. RESULTS: From 2004-2011, there were 15,949 ART initiations at QECH (56% female; 8% children [0-10 years] and 5% adolescents [10-20 years]). Male initiators were likely to have more advanced HIV infection at initiation than female initiators (70% vs. 64% in WHO stage 3 or 4). Over the eight years studied, there were declines in treatment delay, with 2011 having the shortest delay at 36.5 days. On multivariate analysis CD4 count <50 cells/µl (adjusted geometric mean ratio [aGMR]: aGMR: 0.53, bias-corrected accelerated [BCA] 95% CI: 0.42-0.68) was associated with shorter ART treatment delay. Women (aGMR: 1.12, BCA 95% CI: 1.03-1.22) and patients diagnosed with HIV at another facility outside QECH (aGMR: 1.61, BCA 95% CI: 1.47-1.77) had significantly longer treatment delay. CONCLUSIONS: Continued improvements in treatment delays provide evidence that universal access to ART can be achieved using the public health approach adopted by Malawi However, the longer delays for women and patients diagnosed at outlying sites emphasises the need for targeted interventions to support equitable access for these groups.

Near-universal same-day linkage to ART care among newly diagnosed adults living with HIV: A cross-sectional study from primary health facilities, in urban Malawi.

Malawi HIV treatment guidelines recommend same-day antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation. Overall 97.9% of Malawians living with HIV (PLHIV) are on ART, same-day ART initiation prevalence and factors that facilitate it have not been fully described. We assessed same-day ART initiation and described individual, health system and health facility infrastructural factors at health facilities supported by expert clients (EC). ECs are lay PLHIV who support other PLHIV. The study was conducted in urban and semi-urban primary health facilities, in Blantyre, Malawi. It was a cross-sectional, descriptive survey of PLHIV and health facility leaders. Eligibility criteria included age ≥ 18 years, new diagnosis of HIV, received counselling from ECs, and offered same-day ART. The study was conducted from December 2018 to June 2021, and 321 study participants enrolled. Mean age (standard deviation) was 33 years (10) with 59% females. In total, 315 (98.1%) initiated same-day ART. Four participants did not because of mental unpreparedness, one wanted to try herbal medicine and one was concerned about stigma related to taking ART. Participants reported health facility accessibility (99%, 318/321), privacy (91%, 292/321) and quality of counselling by EC as excellent (40%, 128/321). Same-day ART was nearly universal. Participants' satisfaction with health services delivery, the presence of EC, and infrastructural characteristics such as adequate privacy were cited as reasons favoring same-day linkage to ART. The most cited reason for not starting same-day ART was mental unpreparedness.

Challenges with targeted viral load testing for medical inpatients at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 75% of medical inpatients at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) in Blantyre, Malawi are HIV seropositive, and a third of these patients are on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Malawi guidelines recommend targeted viral load (VL) testing for patients on ART for at least one year who report excellent adherence and present with a WHO clinical stage 3 or 4 HIV disease. A switch to second-line ART is only indicated if a VL result >5000 copies/mL confirms treatment failure. METHODS: During an audit of targeted VL testing at QECH, all adult medical admissions were screened to identify those in need of VL testing. Daily review of inpatient notes ascertained whether VL testing was ordered and carried out. At 8 weeks post-discharge the laboratory database was checked for results and was triangulated with the HIV outpatient database to ascertain whether patients had attended clinic, received results, and if these results had been acted upon. RESULTS: Out of 81 patients recruited, 63 (77%) had a VL requested. At 8 weeks post-discharge, nine patients (14%) had VL results available. The median (IQR) waiting time for those with results was 29 days (20-47). Five patients had a VL >5000 copies/mL. Of these patients, three attended clinic and one was switched to second-line ART. Of the remaining 55 patients awaiting results, the median (IQR) waiting time at the 8-week follow-up point was 72 days (67-80). At 8 weeks post-discharge, 8 patients (33%) had died. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate challenges with targeted VL testing at QECH. Only two-thirds of patients with clinical ART failure were identified as eligible for targeted VL testing, and of these less than one-sixth had VL results available after 8 weeks. Interventions such as point-of-care targeted VL testing could result in faster turnaround times. In the interim, we suggest further evaluation of the possibility of switching patients with clinical ART failure and a low CD4 count to second-line ART while awaiting VL results.

Discordance between clinical and immunological ART eligibility criteria for children in Malawi.

BACKGROUND: Since May 2014, all HIV positive children aged less than five years in Malawi are eligible for ART. For children older than five years they are eligible if they are in WHO stage III/IV, if stage I/II, if their CD4 < 500 cells/mm3. Our goal was to compare the WHO clinical classification criteria (WHO stage + CD4/age) to CD4 count (CD4/age) on all children. Prior to 2014, children aged 2-5 years in stage I and II were eligible for ART if their CD4 was < 750 cells/mm3. We were interested in the increase in numbers of children in this age group who now meet the eligibility criteria and their average CD4 count. METHODS: Data including age, stage and CD4 count were used. We examined the effect of using two different criteria; WHO staging and checking CD4 count if stage I or II versus CD4 count on all, on the numbers of children eligibility for ART in a cohort of 969 children aged 0 to 14 years in Blantyre, Malawi. RESULTS: Using WHO stage + CD4/age, 786 patients out of 969 would have been treated and 183 would not. Using CD4/age, 745 patients out of 969 would have been treated and 224 would not. Within the 224 patients not treated by CD4 classification, 41 were clinical stage III or IV. The most common staging condition in these 41 children was low weight for age (i.e. underweight). 41% of children age2-5 years have a CD4 count >750. CONCLUSION: Most children are correctly started on treatment using recent guidelines. 41% more children <5 years will be started on ART.