Timing of HIV diagnosis relative to pregnancy and postpartum HIV care continuum outcomes among Latin American women, 2000 to 2017.

BACKGROUND: HIV incidence among women of reproductive age and vertical HIV transmission rates remain high in Latin America. We, therefore, quantified HIV care continuum barriers and outcomes among pregnant women living with HIV (WLWH) in Latin America. METHODS: WLWH (aged ≥16 years) enrolling at Caribbean, Central and South America network for HIV epidemiology (CCASAnet) sites from 2000 to 2017 who had HIV diagnosis, pregnancy and delivery dates contributed. Logistic regression produced adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for retention in care (≥2 visits ≥3 months apart) and virological suppression (viral load <200 copies/mL) 12 months after pregnancy outcome. Cumulative incidences of loss to follow-up (LTFU) postpartum were estimated using Cox regression. Evidence of HIV status at pregnancy confirmation was the exposure. Covariates included pregnancy outcome (born alive vs. others); AIDS diagnosis prior to delivery; CD4, age, HIV-1 RNA and cART regimen at first delivery and CCASAnet country. RESULTS: Among 579 WLWH, median postpartum follow-up was 4.34 years (IQR 1.91, 7.35); 459 (79%) were HIV-diagnosed before pregnancy confirmation, 445 (77%) retained in care and 259 (45%) virologically suppressed at 12 months of postpartum. Cumulative incidence of LTFU was 21% by 12 months and 40% by five years postpartum. Those HIV-diagnosed during pregnancy had lower odds of retention (aOR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.35 to 0.97) and virological suppression (aOR = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.31 to 0.82) versus those HIV-diagnosed before. CONCLUSION: HIV diagnosis during pregnancy was associated with poorer 12-month retention and virological suppression. Young women should be tested and linked to HIV care earlier to narrow these disparities.

Rotavirus vaccine effectiveness in Latin American and Caribbean countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: There are two group A rotavirus (RVA) vaccines available worldwide since 2006: monovalent (Rotarix(®), RV1) and pentavalent (RotaTeq(®), RV5). Currently, 16 countries and 1 territory in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) have introduced RVA vaccines and since their introduction several impact and effectiveness studies have been conducted in different countries. The purpose of this study was to assess RVA vaccine effectiveness in LAC countries. METHODOLOGY: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies in children under-five who were admitted with laboratory-confirmed RVA diarrhea. We searched Medline, WOS, LILACS, Scopus, and other sources from 2006 to October 2013. Two independent evaluators identified the studies that met predefined selection criteria and extracted relevant information according to a protocol. Pooled estimates were obtained with fixed and random-effects models and stratified according to selected effect modifiers. RESULTS: Of the 806 articles meeting the initial criteria, 8 case-control studies which involved 27,713 participants (6265 cases and 21,448 controls) were included in the final analyses. The pooled estimates were calculated using different types of controls, leading to different degrees of effectiveness. The effectiveness of two doses of RV1 against rotavirus-related hospitalizations ranged from 63.5% (95% CI: 39.2-78.0) to 72.2% (95%CI: 60.9-80.2). Effectiveness ranged from 75.4% (95%CI: 64.6-82.9) to 81.8% (CI 95%:72.3-88.1) among infants <12 months for RV1, and from 56.5% (95%CI: 26.2-74.3) to 66.4% (95%CI: 54.1-75.5) for infants >12 months. The RV5 effectiveness for diarrhea with a Vesikari score >11 in infants 6 to 11 months old ranged from 76.1% (95%CI: 57.6-86.6) to 88.8% (95%CI: 78.3-94.3). Also, it showed 63.5% (95%CI: 29.4-82.6) of effectiveness against G2P [4]. CONCLUSION: RVA vaccines consistently showed protection against diarrhea-related hospitalizations in LAC. Results were more robust for RV1. Effectiveness was shown with different types of controls, but appeared somewhat higher with community controls. Effectiveness was higher among infants <12 months and lower in older children.