HIV service delivery models towards 'Zero AIDS-related Deaths': a collaborative case study of 6 Asia and Pacific countries.

BACKGROUND: In the Asia-Pacific region, limited systematic assessment has been conducted on HIV service delivery models. Applying an analytical framework of the continuum of prevention and care, this study aimed to assess HIV service deliveries in six Asia and Pacific countries from the perspective of service availability, linking approaches and performance monitoring for maximizing HIV case detection and retention. METHODS: Each country formed a review team that provided published and unpublished information from the national HIV program. Four types of continuum were examined: (i) service linkages between key population outreach and HIV diagnosis (vertical-community continuum); (ii) chronic care provision across HIV diagnosis and treatment (chronological continuum); (iii) linkages between HIV and other health services (horizontal continuum); and (iv) comprehensive care sites coordinating care provision (hub and heart of continuum). RESULTS: Regarding the vertical-community continuum, all districts had voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) in all countries except for Myanmar and Vietnam. In these two countries, limited VCT availability was a constraint for referring key populations reached. All countries monitored HIV testing coverage among key populations. Concerning the chronological continuum, the proportion of districts/townships having antiretroviral treatment (ART) was less than 70% except in Thailand, posing a barrier for accessing pre-ART/ART care. Mechanisms for providing chronic care and monitoring retention were less developed for VCT/pre-ART process compared to ART process in all countries. On the horizontal continuum, the availability of HIV testing for tuberculosis patients and pregnant women was limited and there were sub-optimal linkages between tuberculosis, antenatal care and HIV services except for Cambodia and Thailand. These two countries indicated higher HIV testing coverage than other countries. Regarding hub and heart of continuum, all countries had comprehensive care sites with different degrees of community involvement. CONCLUSIONS: The analytical framework was useful to identify similarities and considerable variations in service availability and linking approaches across the countries. The study findings would help each country critically adapt and adopt global recommendations on HIV service decentralization, linkages and integration. Especially, the findings would inform cross-fertilization among the countries and national HIV program reviews to determine county-specific measures for maximizing HIV case detection and retention.

Halting and reversing HIV epidemics in Asia by interrupting transmission in sex work: experience and outcomes from ten countries.

HIV epidemics spread rapidly through Asian sex work networks two decades ago under conditions of high vulnerability, low condom use, intact male foreskins and ulcerative STIs. Experiences implementing interventions to prevent transmission in sex work in ten Asian countries were reviewed. All report increasing condom use trends in sex work. In the seven countries where condom use exceeds 80%, surveillance and other data indicate declining HIV trends or low and stable HIV prevalence with declining STI trends. All four countries with national-level HIV declines among sex workers have also documented significant HIV declines in the general population. While all interventions in sex work included outreach, condom programing and STI services, the largest declines were found in countries that implemented structural interventions on a large scale. Thailand and Cambodia, having controlled transmission early, are closest to providing universal access to HIV care, support and treatment and are exploring HIV elimination strategies.

Systematic review of HIV drug resistance in Southeast Asia.

In 2010, 3.5 million people were living with HIV in the World Health Organization Southeast Asia Region (SEAR), giving this region the greatest burden of HIV after Africa. Scale-up of antiretroviral therapy has resulted in over 717,000 benefitting from it by the end of 2010. A systematic review of studies of HIV drug resistance in the SEAR published between 2000 and 2011 was performed. Of 10 studies of transmitted HIV drug resistance in recently infected patients, all but two reported low levels (< 5%) of transmitted resistance. Of 23 studies of HIV drug resistance in pretreatment populations initiating antiretroviral therapy, three reported moderate levels (5-15%) of HIV drug resistance and 20 reported low levels. Amongst 17 studies of acquired HIV drug resistance, levels of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor and nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor resistance ranged from 52 to 92% and 43 to 100%, respectively, amongst those with virological failure. Overall, data included in this review suggest that currently recommended first- and second-line regimens are appropriate for the cohorts studied. However, data were only available from two of 11 Southeast Asia Region countries and studies largely examined urban populations. Results are unlikely to be representative of the region. Studies lacked standardized methods, which greatly limits comparability of data and their use for public health and antiretroviral therapy program planning. Routine, standardized, and nationally representative HIV drug resistance surveillance should be strongly encouraged in the Southeast Asia Region countries to best characterize population-level HIV drug resistance. National-level HIV drug resistance surveillance data may be used to optimize delivery of HIV care and treatment and minimize emergence of population-level HIV drug resistance, thus promoting the long-term efficacy and durability of available first- and second-line antiretroviral therapy regimens.