Changing how the third 95 is counted: suitable indicators for measuring U = U with findings from Taiwan.

INTRODUCTION: The World Health Organisation has implemented multiple HIV prevention policies and strived to achieve the 90-90-90 goal by 2020, achieving the 95-95-95 goal by 2030, which refers to 95% of patients living with HIV knowing their HIV status, 95% of patients living with HIV receiving continual care and medication, and 95% of patients living with HIV exhibiting viral suppression. However, how to measure the status of viral suppression varies, and it is hard to indicate the quality of HIV care. The study aimed to examine the long-term viral load suppression in these cases and explore potential factors affecting the control of long-term viral load. METHODS: This study analyzed viral load testing data from HIV patients who are still alive during the period from notification up to 2019-2020. Three indicators were calculated, including durable viral suppression, Viremia copy-years, and Viral load > 1,500 copies/ml, to assess the differences between them. RESULTS: Among the 27,706 cases included in the study, the proportion of persistent viral load suppression was 87%, with 4% having viral loads exceeding 1,500 copies/ml. The average duration from notification to viral load suppression was 154 days, and the geometric mean of annual viral replication was 90 copies*years/ml. Regarding the last available viral load measurement, 96% of cases had an undetectable viral load. However, we observed that 9.3% of cases, while having an undetectable viral load for their last measurement, did not show consistent long-term viral load suppression. An analysis of factors associated with non-persistent viral load suppression revealed higher risk in younger age groups, individuals with an educational level of high school or below, injection drug users, cases from the eastern region, those seeking care at regional hospitals, cases with drug resistance data, individuals with lower healthcare continuity, and those with an initial CD4 count below 350 during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: The recommendation is to combine it with the indicator of sustained viral load suppression for a more accurate assessment of the risk of HIV transmission within the infected community.

An outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 infections among people living with HIV and its successful containment-Taiwan, May to August 2021.

In Taiwan, 14,308 locally acquired COVID-19 cases among customers and employees in Sexy Tea shops were the first cases from May 9-August 28, 2021 (weeks 19-34). Nine weeks after the community spread of COVID-19 began, the proportion of people living with HIV (PLHIV) among the COVID-19 patients peaked at 35.7%, affecting 192 HIV patients, while the prevalence of HIV infection was 0.15%. In addition to a nationwide Level 3 epidemic alert, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) launched four strategies to contain this outbreak among PLHIV in this prevaccine era, including improving the quality of contact tracing, delivering health information via peer navigators, expanding SARS-CoV-2 screening and encouraging vaccination, and addressing hesitancy. The outbreak of COVID-19 related to Alpha strain among PLHIV in 2021 ceased four weeks after peaking and lasted eight weeks.

Application of the screening and indirect cohort methods to evaluate the effectiveness of pneumococcal vaccination program in adults 75 years and older in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: The Taiwanese national 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23) program in adults ≥75 years of age and the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) program for children were implemented in 2008 and 2013, respectively. In this study we evaluated PPV23 vaccine effectiveness (PPV23VE) in the elderly, with regard to both direct protection from the vaccine itself and the indirect protection conferred by PCV13 immunization in children. METHODS: The incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in Taiwan from July 2008 to June 2016 was collected from IPD surveillance data. A comparison of IPD incidence with a nationwide vaccination registry allowed an estimation of PPV23VE by the screening and indirect cohort methods. RESULTS: The incidence of IPD in adults ≥75 years of age ranged from 13.9 per 100,000 inhabitants during the period July 2008-June 2013 to 10.4 per 100,000 inhabitants between July 2013 and June 2016 (relative risk [RR]: 0.75; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 0.67-0.85). According to the screening method, PPV23VE against death within 30 days of IPD onset, all IPD, and PPV23-serotype IPD was 32.5% (95% CI: 17.5-44.7%), 33.9% (95% CI: 25.2-41.5%) and 43.4% (95% CI: 34.4-51.2%), respectively. PPV23VE with the indirect cohort method was 39.0% (95% CI: 15.5-55.9%) for all PPV23 serotypes and 71.5% (95% CI: 44.2-85.4%) for 11 serotypes included in PPV23 but not in PCV13. During the period July 2008-June 2012, PPV23VE against PPV23-serotype IPD was 55.1% (95% CI: 27.2-72.3%). CONCLUSIONS: PPV23 is able to prevent IPD and 30-day fatality in adults 75 years of age and older due to a combination of direct effects from PPV23 and indirect effects from PCV13. It might confer higher protection against PPV23-serotype IPD before the introduction of PCV13 program in children.

Surveillance of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Taiwan, 2008-2019.

BACKGROUND: Drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) is a major contributor to global cases of antimicrobial resistance and remains a public health challenge. To understand the extent and trend of DR-TB under an enhanced multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) management program, we conducted a population-based retrospective study of 1511 Taiwanese MDR-TB cases reported from 2008 to 2019. METHODS: We obtained patient demographics and clinical and bacteriological information from the National TB Registry and the Infectious Disease Notification System. RESULTS: Of the 1511 MDR-TB patients, 941 were new cases, 485 were previously treated, and 85 had an unknown history of treatment. The male to female ratio was 2.75, and the median age of the patients was 57 years (IQR: 45-72). We observed a significant decline in MDR-TB cases, with annual percentage change (APC) of -4.17%. However, new and previously treated MDR-TB cases had APCs of -1.41% and -9.18%, respectively. The rates of MDR-TB resistance to ethambutol, streptomycin and pyrazinamide were 47.2%, 42.4% and 28.9%, respectively, whereas the rates of resistance to fluoroquinolones and second-line injectable drugs (SLIDs) were 4.1-7.1%, 9.0-14.1%; and the rate of extensively drug-resistant TB was 1.9%, respectively. Furthermore, we observed a decreasing trend of resistance to SLIDs (APCs -7.0% to -8.2%) in new cases and a significant decreasing trend of resistance to moxifloxacin (-24.6%) and levofloxacin (-23.3%) in previously treated cases. CONCLUSION: The decreasing trend of MDR-TB and resistance to second-line drugs suggested that our programmatic management of TB was effective and that the impact on TB control was profound.

Completeness and timeliness of tuberculosis notification in Taiwan.

UNLABELLED: Tuberculosis (TB) is a notifiable disease by the Communicable Disease Control Law in Taiwan. Several measures have been undertaken to improve reporting of TB but the completeness and timeliness of TB notification in Taiwan has not yet been systemically evaluated. METHODS: To assess completeness and timeliness of TB notification, potential TB cases diagnosed by health care facilities in the year 2005-2007 were identified using the reimbursement database of national health insurance (NHI), which has 99% population coverage in Taiwan. Potential TB patients required notification were defined as those who have TB-related ICD-9 codes (010-018) in the NHI reimbursement database in 2005-2007, who were not diagnosed with TB in previous year, and who have been prescribed with 2 or more types of anti-TB drugs. Each potential TB case was matched to the national TB registry maintained at Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) by using national identity number or, if non-citizen, passport number to determine whether the patients had been notified to local public health authorities and Taiwan CDC. The difference in the number of days between date of anti-tuberculosis treatment and date of notification was calculated to determine the timeliness of TB reporting. RESULTS: Of the 57,405 TB patients who were prescribed with 2 or more anti-tuberculosis drugs, 55,291 (96.3%) were notified to National TB Registry and 2,114 (3.7%) were not. Of the 55,291 notified cases, 45,250 (81.8%) were notified within 7 days of anti-tuberculosis treatment (timely reporting) and 10,041(18.2%) after 7 days (delayed reporting). Factors significantly associated with failure of notification are younger age, previously notified cases, foreigner, those who visited clinics and those who visited health care facilities only once or twice in 6 months. CONCLUSION: A small proportion of TB cases were not notified and a substantial proportion of notified TB cases had delayed reporting, findings with implication for strengthening surveillance of tuberculosis in Taiwan. Countries where the completeness and timeliness of TB notification has not yet been evaluated should take similar action to strengthen surveillance of TB.

Trends in tuberculosis in Taiwan, 2002-2008.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Tuberculosis (TB) remains an important infectious disease in Taiwan. To control TB effectively, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control implemented the National Tuberculosis Program (NTP) in 2006, modeled on the World Health Organization global TB control program. The goal of the program was to reduce the number of TB cases by half within a decade. This study was designed to describe the epidemiology of TB in Taiwan, and to evaluate the preliminary effectiveness of the NTP. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of data from the National Tuberculosis Registry System collected between 2002 and 2008. Demographics, geographic distribution of disease, and change in rates of TB incidence and mortality were analyzed. RESULTS: From 2002 to 2008, new TB cases declined from 16,758 to 14,265, and incidence decreased from 75 per 100,000 population to 62 per 100,000 population. More than 50% of new cases occurred among elderly adults. Over the study period, TB mortality decreased from 5.7 per 100,000 population to 3.3 per 100,000 population, with over half of TB deaths occurring among patients aged ≥ 65 years. Since the NTP was implemented, from 2005 to 2008, TB incidence and mortality declined by 14% and 23%, respectively. CONCLUSION: TB-associated incidence and mortality decreased over the course of the study. Nevertheless, there continue to be high-incidence areas that show the opposite trend; these areas should strive to improve case management and consultation. In the most populous districts, rigorous surveillance is necessary to track incidence and mortality rate fluctuations.

Effect of free treatment and surveillance on HIV-infected persons who have tuberculosis, Taiwan, 1993-2006.

In 1997, Taiwan made highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) available without cost to HIV-infected persons; in 2001, a national web-based surveillance system was implemented. Healthcare workers use the system to monitor patients' conditions and can intervene when necessary. Free HAART, coupled with the surveillance system, appears to have increased survival rates of HIV-infected persons with tuberculosis in Taiwan.

An outbreak of HIV infection among people who inject drugs linked to injection of propofol in Taiwan.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to report an HIV outbreak related to propofol-injection and the impact of regulating propofol on the HIV epidemic among people who inject drugs (PWID). METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of 252 PWID who were diagnosed with an HIV infection between 2014 and 2017 in Taiwan. The propofol information was collected by routine epidemic surveillance and interviews. We linked several national databases to collect other related factors, including methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) attendance and incarceration. The serums were tested for recent infection by the LAg-avidity EIA assay and relationship of the trains by the Phylogenetic tree analysis. Analyses were conducted using the R Surveillance package for retrospective modeling for outbreak detection. A multiple logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between propofol-injection and other related factors. RESULTS: There were 28 cases reported with propofol-injection, all of which were reported in Central Taiwan. A total of 11 (50%) cases among 22 propofol-injectors with serums were recent infections, which were higher than that 33 (23.4%) of non-propofol group. The phylogenetic tree indicated that 6 propofol-injectors were grouped together with the same cluster in circular. The HIV epidemic curve among PWID revealed an outbreak of 82 in 2015, which then decreased to 43 in 2016 after propofol began to be regulated as a Schedule 4 controlled drug in August 2015. In a multiple logistic regression, attendance at methadone clinics was associated with a significantly higher risk for propofol-injection (adjusted OR = 2.43, 95% CI = 0.98-5.98), and HIV reported in the year 2015 was associated with an increased risk of propofol-injection (adjusted OR = 4, 95% CI = 1.08-14.86). CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that the government regulation of propofol as a controlled drug strategy was associated with significant reduction in the spread of HIV among PWID.

Effectiveness of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccines of Different Valences Against Invasive Pneumococcal Disease Among Children in Taiwan: A Nationwide Study.

BACKGROUND: For the scarcity of data, we investigated the vaccine effectiveness (VE) of the combined use of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) of different valences against invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in children. METHODS: We conducted a matched case-control study using the national IPD surveillance database and the national vaccination registry. Four age-matched, gender-matched and neighborhood-matched controls were identified for each incident IPD case ≦5 years with disease onsets between October 2007 and December 2013. Conditional logistic regression was used to assess VE against all serotype and serotype 19A IPD. RESULTS: In 523 cases (median age: 28.5 months; range: 2.0-69.4 months) and 2086 controls (28.7; 2.2-70.1), a similar VE against all-serotype IPD was found between PCV13 (76%; 61-85%) and combined 7-valent PCV (PCV7)/10-valent PCV (PCV10) plus PCV13 (78%; 56-89%). The VE for PCV7/PCV10 was slightly lower (48%; 32-60%). Regarding serotype 19A, a significantly reduced risk was observed for both PCV13 (82%; 63-91%) and combined PCV7/PCV10 plus PCV13 (87%; 61-96%). PCV7/PCV10 had only a borderline protective association (31%; 4-51%). For children receiving PCV13 alone, VE against all-serotype IPD did not differ between starting the dosing at ≥2 (78%; 56-89%) or <2 (74%; 51-87%) years of age. VE was 81% (69-88%) within 6 months of the last dose of PCV and 19% (95% CI: -21 to 45%) after 2 years. CONCLUSIONS: PCVs are effective against IPD during immunization with either the same or with a mixed series, but protection might be differential over time.

Using financial incentives to improve the care of tuberculosis patients.

OBJECTIVES: Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious public health concern, and Taiwan has implemented a pay-for-performance (P4P) program to incentivize healthcare professionals to provide comprehensive care to TB patients. This study aims to examine the effects of the TB P4P program on treatment outcomes and related expenses. STUDY DESIGN: A population-based natural experimental design with intervention and comparison groups. METHODS: Propensity score matching was conducted to increase the comparability between the P4P and non-P4P group. A total of 12,018 subjects were included in the analysis, with 6009 cases in each group. Generalized linear models and multinomial logistic regression were employed to examine the effects of the P4P program. RESULTS: The regression models indicated that patients enrolled in the P4P program had 14% more ambulatory visits than non-P4P patients (P < .001), but there were no differences in hospitalization rates. On average, P4P enrollees spent $215 (4.6%) less on TB-related expenses than their counterparts. In addition, P4P enrollees had a higher likelihood of being successfully treated (odds ratio, 1.56; P < .001) and were less likely to die compared with nonenrollees. CONCLUSIONS: Patients in the P4P program were less likely to die, were more likely to be treated successfully, and incurred lower costs. Providing financial incentives to healthcare institutions could be a feasible model for better TB control.

Comparing the factors correlated with tuberculosis-specific and non-tuberculosis-specific deaths in different age groups among tuberculosis-related deaths in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: Nearly 20% of tuberculosis (TB) patients die within one year, and TB-related mortality rates remain high in Taiwan. The study aimed to identify factors correlated with TB-specific deaths versus non-TB-specific deaths in different age groups among TB-related mortalities. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted from 2006-2008 with newly registered TB patients receiving follow-up for 1 year. The national TB database from the Taiwan-CDC was linked with the National Vital Registry System and the National Health Insurance database. A chi-squared test and logistic regression were used to analyse the correlated factors related to TB-specific and non-TB-specific deaths in different age groups. RESULTS: Elderly age (odds ratio [OR] 2.68-8.09), Eastern residence (OR 2.01), positive sputum bacteriology (OR 2.54), abnormal chest X-ray (OR 2.28), and comorbidity with chronic kidney disease (OR 2.35), stroke (OR 1.74) or chronic liver disease (OR 1.29) were most likely to be the cause of TB-specific deaths, whereas cancer (OR 0.79) was less likely to be implicated. For non-TB-specific deaths in patients younger than 65 years of age, male sex (OR 2.04) and comorbidity with HIV (OR 5.92), chronic kidney disease (OR 8.02), stroke (OR 3.75), cancer (OR 9.79), chronic liver disease (OR 2.71) or diabetes mellitus (OR 1.38) were risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: Different factors correlated with TB-specific deaths compared with non-TB-specific deaths, and the impact of comorbidities gradually decreased as age increased. To reduce TB-specific mortality, special consideration for TB patients with old age, Eastern residence, positive sputum bacteriology and comorbidity with chronic kidney disease or stroke is crucial. In particular, Eastern residence increased the risk of TB-specific death in all age groups. In terms of TB deaths among patients younger than 65 years of age, patients with HIV, chronic kidney disease or cancer had a 6-10 times increased risk of non-TB-specific deaths.

Risk factors associated with death in a 12-month cohort analysis of tuberculosis patients: 12-month follow-up after registration.

The aim of the study was to investigate the risk of death for 12 months follow-up after registration of tuberculosis (TB), using a nationwide population-based retrospective cohort study. A total of 33851 new TB cases were enrolled from 2006 to 2008. Of these, 5584 (16.5%) patients died during the follow-up period because of TB, and 4224 (12.5%) patients died because of other causes. Multivariate survival analysis revealed that age, HIV, chronic kidney disease, stroke, cancer, and chronic liver disease and cirrhosis were significant risk factors associated with death. Patients of age 0 to 64 years with HIV, chronic kidney disease, cancer, stroke, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, or diabetes had a higher risk of death than those without these comorbidities. The majority of the TB patients in Taiwan died because of causes other than TB, and death often occurred in the first 2 months after TB registration. Therefore, medical care and case management for those with comorbidities are advised to prevent death during TB treatment.