Eswatini Women´s Knowledge about Cervical Cancer, Data from a Prevention and Awareness Campaign 2021: A Community Based Cross-sectional Campaign.

INTRODUCTION: The increased risk of cervical cancer among HIV+ women is higher compared to HIV - women. A majority of HIV+ care programs offer integrated cervical cancer screening. In Eswatini, the health care system has incorporated two screening modalities, visual acetic acid test and pap smear, into HIV programs. This was a significant strategy to identify women at greater risk for developing cervical cancer. Additionally, leveraging on the trained staff on cervical cancer screening, infrastructure and referral systems for existing services. OBJECTIVE: The aim is to scientifically accompany prevention and awareness campaigns in Eswatini in its real-world settings to obtain (1) a better understanding of cervical cancer knowledge among female participants and (2) to determine the prevalence of screening among women undergoing cervical cancer screening (VIA and Pap smear). METHODS: Community cross-sectional survey among attendees in four regions in Eswatini. Two data collection tools were used: Questionnaires and clinical data from VIA screening. Data were collected from June - October 2021. Age, education and marital status at entry and exit points were assessed to measure the women's awareness of cervical cancer at both points. RESULTS: A total of 450 attendees were interviewed and a total of 414 attendees were screened - 212 through VIA and 202 through pap smear. There was a significant understanding of cervical cancer regardless of education level. A significant variation of more than 90% was observed at the exit point. CONCLUSION: These findings will inform aspects of implementation, including community outreach messaging, health promotion, screening sites and emphasis on accessibility and efficiency of preventative behaviour for women who attend to cervical cancer screening sites.

INTRODUCTION: Le risque accru de cancer du col de l'utérus chez les femmes séropositives est plus élevé par rapport aux femmes séronégatives. La majorité des programmes de soins pour les séropositives offrent un dépistage intégré du cancer du col de l'utérus. Au Swaziland, le système de santé a incorporé deux modalités de dépistage, le test d'acide acétique visuel et le frottis, dans les programmes VIH. Il s'agissait d'une stratégie significative pour identifier les femmes présentant un risque accru de développer un cancer du col de l'utérus. De plus, en tirant parti du personnel formé au dépistage du cancer du col de l'utérus, de l'infrastructure et des systèmes de référence pour les services existants. OBJECTIF: L'objectif est d'accompagner scientifiquement les campagnes de prévention et de sensibilisation au Swaziland dans leur contexte réel pour obtenir (1) une meilleure compréhension des connaissances sur le cancer du col de l'utérus parmi les participantes et (2) déterminer la prévalence du dépistage chez les femmes se soumettant à un dépistage du cancer du col de l'utérus (TAV et frottis). MÉTHODES: Enquête transversale communautaire auprès des participants dans quatre régions du Swaziland. Deux outils de collecte de données ont été utilisés : des questionnaires et des données cliniques du dépistage par TAV. Les données ont été collectées de juin à octobre 2021. L'âge, l'éducation et l'état matrimonial à l'entrée et à la sortie ont été évalués pour mesurer la sensibilisation des femmes au cancer du col de l'utérus aux deux points. RÉSULTATS: Un total de 450 participants ont été interviewés et un total de 414 participants ont été dépistés, 212 par TAV et 202 par frottis. Une compréhension significative du cancer du col de l'utérus a été observée, quel que soit le niveau d'éducation. Une variation significative de plus de 90 % a été observée à la sortie. CONCLUSION: Ces résultats informeront des aspects de la mise en œuvre, notamment la messagerie de sensibilisation communautaire, la promotion de la santé, les sites de dépistage et l'accent mis sur l'accessibilité et l'efficacité des comportements préventifs pour les femmes fréquentant les sites de dépistage du cancer du col de l'utérus. MOTS-CLÉS: Cancer du col de l'utérus, Sensibilisation, Dépistage, Swaziland.

Universal test and treat in relation to HIV disease progression: results from a stepped-wedge trial in Eswatini.

OBJECTIVES: Universal test and treat (UTT) is recommended for people living with HIV (PLHIV) to reduce morbidity/mortality and minimize transmission. However, concerns exist that this strategy may lead to more crowded hospitals, longer wait times and poorer service, adversely impacting health outcomes for clients with severe disease. We assessed how UTT was related to markers of disease progression in PLHIV overall and specifically among clients with low CD4 count/high World Health Organization (WHO) stage. METHODS: The analysis was conducted using data from a stepped-wedge trial of UTT in 14 government-managed health facilities in Eswatini from 2014 to 2017. Disease progression was defined as CD4 count falling below 200 cells/µL or baseline value, > 10% weight loss, body mass index (BMI) dropping below 18.5, incident tuberculosis (TB) or HIV-related death; these outcomes also were assessed individually. We assessed multivariate Cox proportional hazard models overall and specifically among clients with CD4 count < 350 cells/µL or WHO stage 3-4 at enrolment. RESULTS: Eight hundred and seven of 3176 clients demonstrated at least one marker of disease progression over 2339 person-years of follow-up. Overall, 62.4% of clients were female; 57.2% were < 35 years old. Compared to clients not exposed to UTT, those exposed to UTT had a lower rate of disease progression overall [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 0.60; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.46-0.78] and a lower rate of CD4 decline (aHR 0.40; 95% CI 0.27-0.58). When the analysis was limited to clients with CD4 count < 350 cells/µL or WHO stage 3-4, UTT was not associated with disease progression (aHR 0.92; 95% CI 0.66-1.29). CONCLUSIONS: UTT reduced HIV disease progression overall and was not detrimental for clients with more severe disease.

Mortality under early access to antiretroviral therapy vs. Eswatini's national standard of care: the MaxART clustered randomized stepped-wedge trial.

OBJECTIVES: Current WHO guidelines recommend the treatment of all HIV-infected individuals with antiretroviral therapy (ART) to improve survival and quality of life, and decrease infection of others. MaxART is the first implementation trial of this strategy embedded within a government-managed health system, and assesses mortality as a secondary outcome. Because primary findings strongly supported scale-up of the 'treat all' strategy (hereafter Treat All), this analysis examines mortality as an additional indicator of its impact. METHODS: MaxART was conducted in 14 Eswatinian health clinics through a clinic-based stepped-wedge design, by transitioning clinics from then-national standard of care (SoC) to the Treat All intervention. All-cause, disease-related, and HIV-related mortality were analysed using the Cox proportional hazards model, censoring SoC participants at clinic transition. Median follow-up time among study participants was 292 days. There were 36/2034 deaths in SoC (1.77%) and 49/1371 deaths in Treat All (3.57%). RESULTS: Between September 2014 and August 2017, 3405 participants were enrolled. In SoC and Treat All interventions, respectively, the multivariable-adjusted 12-month all-cause mortality rates were 1.42% [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.66-2.17] and 1.60% (95% CI: 0.78-2.40), disease-related mortality rates were 1.02% (95% CI: 0.40-1.64) and 1.10% (95% CI: 0.46-1.73), and HIV-related mortality rates were 1.03% (95% CI: 0.40-1.65) and 0.99% (95% CI: 0.40-1.58). Treat All had no impact on all-cause [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.12, 95% CI: 0.58-2.18, P = 0.73], disease-related (HR = 1.04, 95% CI: 0.52-2.11, P = 0.90), or HIV-related mortality (HR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.46-1.87, P = 0.83). CONCLUSION: There was no immediate benefit of the Treat All strategy on mortality, nor evidence of harm. Longer follow-up of participants is needed to establish long-term consequences.

Cost and cost-effectiveness of transitioning to universal initiation of lifelong antiretroviral therapy for all HIV-positive pregnant and breastfeeding women in Swaziland.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the costs and cost-effectiveness of transitioning from antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation based on CD4 cell count and WHO clinical staging ('Option A') to universal ART ('Option B+') for all HIV-infected pregnant and breastfeeding women in Swaziland. METHODS: We measured the total costs of prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) service delivery at public sector facilities with empirical cost data collected at three points in time: once under Option A and again twice after transition to the Option B+ approach. The cost per woman treated per month includes recurrent costs (personnel, overheads, medication and diagnostic tests) and capital costs (buildings, furniture, start-up costs and training). Cost-effectiveness was estimated from the health services perspective as the cost per woman retained in care through 6 months postpartum. This analysis is nested within a larger stepped-wedge evaluation, which demonstrated a 26% increase in maternal retention after the transition to Option B+. RESULTS: Across the five sites, the total cost for PMTCT during the study period (from August 2013 to October 2015, in 2015 US$) was $868,426 for Option B+ and $680 508 for Option A. The cost per woman treated per month was $183 for a woman on ART under Option B+, and $127 and $118 for a woman on ART and zidovudine (AZT), respectively, under Option A. The weighted average cost per woman treated on Option B+ was $826 compared to $525 under Option A. The main cost drivers were the start-up costs, additional training provided and staff time spent on PMTCT tasks for Option B+. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was estimated at $912 for every additional mother retained in care through six months postpartum. CONCLUSIONS: The cost and cost-effectiveness outcomes from this study indicate that there is a robust economic case for pursuing the Option B+ approach in Swaziland and similar settings such as South Africa. Furthermore, these costs can be used to aid decision making and budgeting, for similar settings transitioning to test and treat strategy.

Residue levels and discharge loads of antibiotics in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), hospital lagoons, and rivers within Lake Victoria Basin, Kenya.

The detection of antibiotics in water systems has instigated great environmental concern due to the toxicological effects associated with these compounds. Their discharge into the environment results from the ubiquity of use in medical, veterinary, and agricultural practices. Some of the effects of antibiotics include development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, making it difficult to treat diseases, variation in natural microbial communities, and enzyme activities. In this study, the first comprehensive survey of some frequently used antibiotics namely ampicillin (AMP), amoxicillin (AMX), sulfamethoxazole (SMX), chloramphenicol (CAP), and ciprofloxacin (CPF) within Lake Victoria Basin of Kenya is presented. Sludge and wastewater samples were collected from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and hospital lagoons within the study area. Samples were extracted and cleaned by solid-phase extraction, and analysis was carried out using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). All wastewater samples and sludge collected contained quantifiable levels of the selected antibiotics. The highest concentrations were recorded for AMP with WWTPs and hospitals having 0.36 ± 0.04 and 0.79 ± 0.07 µg/L, respectively. In sludge samples, SMX recorded the highest concentrations of 276 ± 12 ng/g. The high levels in sludge indicate the preferential partition of antibiotics onto solid phase, posing great danger to consumers of crops grown in biosolid-amended soils. The daily discharge loads of antibiotics from nine WWTPs ranged between 80.75 and 3044.9 mg day(-1) with a total discharge of 6395.85 mg day(-1), signifying a high potential of water resource pollution within the region. This report will aid in the assessment of the risks posed by antibiotics released into the environment.