Persistence of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among adolescent girls and young women initiating PrEP for HIV prevention in Kenya

The Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored, and Safe (DREAMS) Initiative aims to reduce HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Africa. Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is offered through DREAMS in Kenya to eligible AGYW in high burden counties including Kisumu and Homa Bay. This study examines PrEP persistence among AGYW in high burden community-based PrEP delivery settings. We evaluated PrEP persistence among AGYW in the DREAMS PrEP program in Kisumu and Homa Bay using survival analysis and programmatic PrEP refill data collected between March through December 2017. Among 1,259 AGYW who initiated PrEP during the study period, the median persistence time in the program was 56 days (95% CI: 49-58 days) and the proportion who persisted 3 months later was 37% (95% CI: 34-40%). Persistence varied by county (p < 0.001), age at PrEP initiation (p = 0.002), marital status (p = 0.008), transactional sex (p = 0.002), gender-based violence (GBV) experience (p = 0.009) and current school attendance (p = 0.001) at DREAMS enrollment. Persistence did not vary with orphan status, food insecurity, condom use, age at first sexual encounter or engagement in age-disparate sex at DREAMS enrollment. Targeted strategies are needed to improve AGYW retention in the PrEP program.

Case Study: A Rapid Rollout of Universal Maternal HAART Improves Outcomes among HIV-Positive Women and Their Infants in Kenya

Globally, countries have made significant achievements in reducing rates of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV. In Kenya, MTCT rates were most recently estimated at 8%, with 220,000 children under 15 years of age living with HIV. In 2013, the World Health Organization recommended highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for all HIV-infected pregnant and lactating women. APHIAPLUSKAMILI supported rollout of a county-level, targeted, rapid scale-up of HAART in 152 high-volume facilities in Kenya. A review and comparison of data from these facilities in 2013 and 2014 revealed a significant increase in the proportion of women started on HAART and a reduction in MTCT.