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Cocorpus J, Holman S, Yager JE, Helzner E, Sardar M, Kohlhoff S, Smith-Norowitz TA. Viral Load Suppression in People Living with HIV Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Brooklyn, New York. AIDS Behav 2024; 28:2961-2969. [PMID: 38836987 DOI: 10.1007/s10461-024-04385-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
Consistent care is crucial for the health maintenance of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PWH). The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic disrupted patient care in New York City (NYC), yet few studies investigated the association between COVID-19 and viral load suppression in PWH in NYC. This study aims to assess how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted HIV viral load and CD4 + T-cell counts in PWH. Medical records of 1130 adult HIV patients who visited the Special Treatment and Research Health Center in Brooklyn, NY, between January 2019 and May 2023 were compared across three timeframes (pre-pandemic, January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019; first pandemic phase, March 19, 2020 to December 31, 2020; and second pandemic phase, January 1, 2021 to May 11, 2023). Demographic and clinical variables (e.g. viral load and CD4 + T cell count) were assessed. About 40% of patients did not have routine laboratory monitoring during the first pandemic phase compared with pre-pandemic. The mean HIV viral load was higher during the second pandemic phase compared with pre-pandemic (p = 0.009). The percentages of patients with undetectable HIV viral load and numbers (mm3) of CD4 + T-cells were similar for all time periods. These findings indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic may have exacerbated challenges for individuals who already had barriers to medication adherence or access. However, most individuals remained consistently on their antiretrovirals throughout the pandemic. Further studies are warranted to determine how to mitigate the impact of future pandemics for the health of PWH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenelle Cocorpus
- Department of Pediatrics, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Box 49, 450 Clarkson Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 11203, USA
| | - Susan Holman
- Department of Medicine, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY, 11203, USA
| | - Jessica E Yager
- Department of Medicine, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY, 11203, USA
| | - Elizabeth Helzner
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY, 11203, USA
| | - Mohsin Sardar
- Department of Medicine, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY, 11203, USA
| | - Stephan Kohlhoff
- Department of Pediatrics, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Box 49, 450 Clarkson Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 11203, USA
| | - Tamar A Smith-Norowitz
- Department of Pediatrics, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Box 49, 450 Clarkson Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 11203, USA.
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Hladik W, Stupp P, McCracken SD, Justman J, Ndongmo C, Shang J, Dokubo EK, Gummerson E, Koui I, Bodika S, Lobognon R, Brou H, Ryan C, Brown K, Nuwagaba-Biribonwoha H, Kingwara L, Young P, Bronson M, Chege D, Malewo O, Mengistu Y, Koen F, Jahn A, Auld A, Jonnalagadda S, Radin E, Hamunime N, Williams DB, Kayirangwa E, Mugisha V, Mdodo R, Delgado S, Kirungi W, Nelson L, West C, Biraro S, Dzekedzeke K, Barradas D, Mugurungi O, Balachandra S, Kilmarx PH, Musuka G, Patel H, Parekh B, Sleeman K, Domaoal RA, Rutherford G, Motsoane T, Bissek ACZK, Farahani M, Voetsch AC. The epidemiology of HIV population viral load in twelve sub-Saharan African countries. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0275560. [PMID: 37363921 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND We examined the epidemiology and transmission potential of HIV population viral load (VL) in 12 sub-Saharan African countries. METHODS We analyzed data from Population-based HIV Impact Assessments (PHIAs), large national household-based surveys conducted between 2015 and 2019 in Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Blood-based biomarkers included HIV serology, recency of HIV infection, and VL. We estimated the number of people living with HIV (PLHIV) with suppressed viral load (<1,000 HIV-1 RNA copies/mL) and with unsuppressed viral load (viremic), the prevalence of unsuppressed HIV (population viremia), sex-specific HIV transmission ratios (number female incident HIV-1 infections/number unsuppressed male PLHIV per 100 persons-years [PY] and vice versa) and examined correlations between a variety of VL metrics and incident HIV. Country sample sizes ranged from 10,016 (Eswatini) to 30,637 (Rwanda); estimates were weighted and restricted to participants 15 years and older. RESULTS The proportion of female PLHIV with viral suppression was higher than that among males in all countries, however, the number of unsuppressed females outnumbered that of unsuppressed males in all countries due to higher overall female HIV prevalence, with ratios ranging from 1.08 to 2.10 (median: 1.43). The spatial distribution of HIV seroprevalence, viremia prevalence, and number of unsuppressed adults often differed substantially within the same countries. The 1% and 5% of PLHIV with the highest VL on average accounted for 34% and 66%, respectively, of countries' total VL. HIV transmission ratios varied widely across countries and were higher for male-to-female (range: 2.3-28.3/100 PY) than for female-to-male transmission (range: 1.5-10.6/100 PY). In all countries mean log10 VL among unsuppressed males was higher than that among females. Correlations between VL measures and incident HIV varied, were weaker for VL metrics among females compared to males and were strongest for the number of unsuppressed PLHIV per 100 HIV-negative adults (R2 = 0.92). CONCLUSIONS Despite higher proportions of viral suppression, female unsuppressed PLHIV outnumbered males in all countries examined. Unsuppressed male PLHIV have consistently higher VL and a higher risk of transmitting HIV than females. Just 5% of PLHIV account for almost two-thirds of countries' total VL. Population-level VL metrics help monitor the epidemic and highlight key programmatic gaps in these African countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wolfgang Hladik
- Division of Global HIV and TB, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Paul Stupp
- Division of Global HIV and TB, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Stephen D McCracken
- Division of Global HIV and TB, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Jessica Justman
- ICAP at Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Clement Ndongmo
- Division of Global HIV and TB, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Judith Shang
- Division of Global HIV and TB, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Emily K Dokubo
- Division of Global HIV and TB, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | | | | | - Stephane Bodika
- Division of Global HIV and TB, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Roger Lobognon
- Division of Global HIV and TB, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Hermann Brou
- ICAP at Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Caroline Ryan
- Division of Global HIV and TB, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Kristin Brown
- Division of Global HIV and TB, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | | | - Leonard Kingwara
- National AIDS and STI's Control Programme, Ministry of Health, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Peter Young
- Division of Global HIV and TB, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Megan Bronson
- Division of Global HIV and TB, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Duncan Chege
- ICAP at Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Optatus Malewo
- Division of Global HIV and TB, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Yohannes Mengistu
- Division of Global HIV and TB, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Frederix Koen
- ICAP at Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | | | - Andrew Auld
- Division of Global HIV and TB, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Sasi Jonnalagadda
- Division of Global HIV and TB, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth Radin
- ICAP at Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | | | - Daniel B Williams
- Division of Global HIV and TB, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Eugenie Kayirangwa
- Division of Global HIV and TB, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Veronicah Mugisha
- ICAP at Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Rennatus Mdodo
- Division of Global HIV and TB, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Stephen Delgado
- ICAP at Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | | | - Lisa Nelson
- Division of Global HIV and TB, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Christine West
- Division of Global HIV and TB, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Samuel Biraro
- ICAP at Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | | | - Danielle Barradas
- Division of Global HIV and TB, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | | | - Shirish Balachandra
- Division of Global HIV and TB, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Peter H Kilmarx
- Division of Global HIV and TB, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Godfrey Musuka
- ICAP at Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Hetal Patel
- Division of Global HIV and TB, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Bharat Parekh
- Division of Global HIV and TB, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Katrina Sleeman
- Division of Global HIV and TB, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Robert A Domaoal
- Division of Global HIV and TB, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - George Rutherford
- University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | | | - Anne-Cécile Zoung-Kanyi Bissek
- Division of Operational Research for Health, Ministry of Health, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Mansoor Farahani
- ICAP at Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Andrew C Voetsch
- Division of Global HIV and TB, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, United States of America
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Facente SN, Grebe E, Maher AD, Fox D, Scheer S, Mahy M, Dalal S, Lowrance D, Marsh K. Use of HIV Recency Assays for HIV Incidence Estimation and Other Surveillance Use Cases: Systematic Review. JMIR Public Health Surveill 2022; 8:e34410. [PMID: 35275085 PMCID: PMC8956992 DOI: 10.2196/34410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Revised: 01/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND HIV assays designed to detect recent infection, also known as "recency assays," are often used to estimate HIV incidence in a specific country, region, or subpopulation, alone or as part of recent infection testing algorithms (RITAs). Recently, many countries and organizations have become interested in using recency assays within case surveillance systems and routine HIV testing services to measure other indicators beyond incidence, generally referred to as "non-incidence surveillance use cases." OBJECTIVE This review aims to identify published evidence that can be used to validate methodological approaches to recency-based incidence estimation and non-incidence use cases. The evidence identified through this review will be used in the forthcoming technical guidance by the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) on the use of HIV recency assays for identification of epidemic trends, whether for HIV incidence estimation or non-incidence indicators of recency. METHODS To identify the best methodological and field implementation practices for the use of recency assays to estimate HIV incidence and trends in recent infections for specific populations or geographic areas, we conducted a systematic review of the literature to (1) understand the use of recency testing for surveillance in programmatic and laboratory settings, (2) review methodologies for implementing recency testing for both incidence estimation and non-incidence use cases, and (3) assess the field performance characteristics of commercially available recency assays. RESULTS Among the 167 documents included in the final review, 91 (54.5%) focused on assay or algorithm performance or methodological descriptions, with high-quality evidence of accurate age- and sex-disaggregated HIV incidence estimation at national or regional levels in general population settings, but not at finer geographic levels for prevention prioritization. The remaining 76 (45.5%) described the field use of incidence assays including field-derived incidence (n=45), non-incidence (n=25), and both incidence and non-incidence use cases (n=6). The field use of incidence assays included integrating RITAs into routine surveillance and assisting with molecular genetic analyses, but evidence was generally weaker or only reported on what was done, without validation data or findings related to effectiveness of using non-incidence indicators calculated through the use of recency assays as a proxy for HIV incidence. CONCLUSIONS HIV recency assays have been widely validated for estimating HIV incidence in age- and sex-specific populations at national and subnational regional levels; however, there is a lack of evidence validating the accuracy and effectiveness of using recency assays to identify epidemic trends in non-incidence surveillance use cases. More research is needed to validate the use of recency assays within HIV testing services, to ensure findings can be accurately interpreted to guide prioritization of public health programming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shelley N Facente
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Facente Consulting, Richmond, CA, United States.,Vitalant Research Institute, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Eduard Grebe
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Vitalant Research Institute, San Francisco, CA, United States.,South African Centre for Epidemiological Modeling and Analysis (SACEMA), Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Andrew D Maher
- South African Centre for Epidemiological Modeling and Analysis (SACEMA), Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.,Institute for Global Health Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Douglas Fox
- Facente Consulting, Richmond, CA, United States
| | | | - Mary Mahy
- Strategic Information Department, The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Shona Dalal
- Global HIV, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections Programmes, World Health Organisation, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - David Lowrance
- Global HIV, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections Programmes, World Health Organisation, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Kimberly Marsh
- Strategic Information Department, The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Geneva, Switzerland
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