Browsing by Author "Twizere, Christella"

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    Cervical cancer prevention and care in HIV clinics across sub-Saharan Africa: results of a facility-based survey
    (Wiley, 2024) Asangbeh-Kerman, Serra Lem; Davidović, Maša; Taghavi, Katayoun; Dhokotera, Tafadzwa; Manasyan, Albert; Sharma, Anjali; Jaquet, Antoine; Musick, Beverly; Twizere, Christella; Chimbetete, Cleophas; Murenzi, Gad; Tweya, Hannock; Muhairwe, Josephine; Wools-Kaloustian, Kara; Technau, Karl-Gunter; Anastos, Kathryn; Yotebieng, Marcel; Jousse, Marielle; Ezechi, Oliver; Orang’o, Omenge; Bosomprah, Samuel; Boni, Simon Pierre; Basu, Partha; Bohlius, Julia; IeDEA; Biostatistics and Health Data Science, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health
    Introduction: To eliminate cervical cancer (CC), access to and quality of prevention and care services must be monitored, particularly for women living with HIV (WLHIV). We assessed implementation practices in HIV clinics across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to identify gaps in the care cascade and used aggregated patient data to populate cascades for WLHIV attending HIV clinics. Methods: Our facility-based survey was administered between November 2020 and July 2021 in 30 HIV clinics across SSA that participate in the International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) consortium. We performed a qualitative site-level assessment of CC prevention and care services and analysed data from routine care of WLHIV in SSA. Results: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination was offered in 33% of sites. Referral for CC diagnosis (42%) and treatment (70%) was common, but not free at about 50% of sites. Most sites had electronic health information systems (90%), but data to inform indicators to monitor global targets for CC elimination in WLHIV were not routinely collected in these sites. Data were collected routinely in only 36% of sites that offered HPV vaccination, 33% of sites that offered cervical screening and 20% of sites that offered pre-cancer and CC treatment. Conclusions: Though CC prevention and care services have long been available in some HIV clinics across SSA, patient and programme monitoring need to be improved. Countries should consider leveraging their existing health information systems and use monitoring tools provided by the World Health Organization to improve CC prevention programmes and access, and to track their progress towards the goal of eliminating CC.
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    Global HIV prevention, care and treatment services for children: a cross-sectional survey from the International Epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) consortium
    (BMJ, 2023-03-13) Vreeman, Rachel C.; Yiannoutsos, Constantin T.; Yusoff, Nik Khairulddin Nik; Wester, C. William; Edmonds, Andrew; Ofner, Susan; Davies, Mary-Ann; Leroy, Valériane; Lumbiganon, Pagakrong; de Menezes Succi, Regina Célia; Twizere, Christella; Brown, Steven; Bolton-Moore, Carolyn; Takassi, Ounoo Elom; Scanlon, Michael; Martin, Roxanne; Wools-Kaloustian, Kara; IeDEA; Biostatistics and Health Data Science, School of Medicine
    Objectives: To assess access children with HIV have to comprehensive HIV care services, to longitudinally evaluate the implementation and scale-up of services, and to use site services and clinical cohort data to explore whether access to these services influences retention in care. Methods: A cross-sectional standardised survey was completed in 2014-2015 by sites providing paediatric HIV care across regions of the International Epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) consortium. We developed a comprehensiveness score based on the WHO's nine categories of essential services to categorise sites as 'low' (0-5), 'medium', (6-7) or 'high' (8-9). When available, comprehensiveness scores were compared with scores from a 2009 survey. We used patient-level data with site services to investigate the relationship between the comprehensiveness of services and retention. Results: Survey data from 174 IeDEA sites in 32 countries were analysed. Of the WHO essential services, sites were most likely to offer antiretroviral therapy (ART) provision and counselling (n=173; 99%), co-trimoxazole prophylaxis (168; 97%), prevention of perinatal transmission services (167; 96%), outreach for patient engagement and follow-up (166; 95%), CD4 cell count testing (126; 88%), tuberculosis screening (151; 87%) and select immunisation services (126; 72%). Sites were less likely to offer nutrition/food support (97; 56%), viral load testing (99; 69%) and HIV counselling and testing (69; 40%). 10% of sites rated 'low', 59% 'medium' and 31% 'high' in the comprehensiveness score. The mean comprehensiveness of services score increased significantly from 5.6 in 2009 to 7.3 in 2014 (p<0.001; n=30). Patient-level analysis of lost to follow-up after ART initiation estimated the hazard was highest in sites rated 'low' and lowest in sites rated 'high'. Conclusion: This global assessment suggests the potential care impact of scaling-up and sustaining comprehensive paediatric HIV services. Meeting recommendations for comprehensive HIV services should remain a global priority.
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    Impact of Universal Antiretroviral Treatment Eligibility on Rapid Treatment Initiation Among Young Adolescents with Human Immunodeficiency Virus in Sub-Saharan Africa
    (Oxford Academic, 2020-08) Tymejczyk, Olga; Brazier, Ellen; Wools-Kaloustian, Kara; Davies, Mary-Ann; Dilorenzo, Madeline; Edmonds, Andrew; Vreeman, Rachel; Bolton, Carolyn; Twizere, Christella; Okoko, Nicollate; Phiri, Sam; Nakigozi, Gertrude; Lelo, Patricia; von Groote, Per; Sohn, Annette H.; Nash, Denis; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Background Young adolescents with perinatally acquired human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are at risk for poor care outcomes. We examined whether universal antiretroviral treatment (ART) eligibility policies (Treat All) improved rapid ART initiation after care enrollment among 10–14-year-olds in 7 sub-Saharan African countries. Methods Regression discontinuity analysis and data for 6912 patients aged 10–14-years were used to estimate changes in rapid ART initiation (within 30 days of care enrollment) after adoption of Treat All policies in 2 groups of countries: Uganda and Zambia (policy adopted in 2013) and Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, and Rwanda (policy adopted in 2016). Results There were immediate increases in rapid ART initiation among young adolescents after national adoption of Treat All. Increases were greater in countries adopting the policy in 2016 than in those adopting it in 2013: 23.4 percentage points (pp) (95% confidence interval, 13.9–32.8) versus 11.2pp (2.5–19.9). However, the rate of increase in rapid ART initiation among 10–14-year-olds rose appreciably in countries with earlier treatment expansions, from 1.5pp per year before Treat All to 7.7pp per year afterward. Conclusions Universal ART eligibility has increased rapid treatment initiation among young adolescents enrolling in HIV care. Further research should assess their retention in care and viral suppression under Treat All.
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    Service delivery challenges in HIV care during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic: results from a site assessment survey across the global IeDEA consortium
    (Wiley, 2022) Brazier, Ellen; Ajeh, Rogers; Maruri, Fernanda; Musick, Beverly; Freeman, Aimee; Wester, C. William; Lee, Man-Po; Shamu, Tinei; Crabtree Ramírez, Brenda; d’Almeida, Marcelline; Wools-Kaloustian, Kara; Kumarasamy, N.; Althoff, Keri N.; Twizere, Christella; Grinsztejn, Beatriz; Tanser, Frank; Messou, Eugène; Byakwaga, Helen; Duda, Stephany N.; Nash, Denis; International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS; Biostatistics, School of Public Health
    Introduction: Interruptions in treatment pose risks for people with HIV (PWH) and threaten progress in ending the HIV epidemic; however, the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on HIV service delivery across diverse settings is not broadly documented. Methods: From September 2020 to March 2021, the International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) research consortium surveyed 238 HIV care sites across seven geographic regions to document constraints in HIV service delivery during the first year of the pandemic and strategies for ensuring care continuity for PWH. Descriptive statistics were stratified by national HIV prevalence (<1%, 1-4.9% and ≥5%) and country income levels. Results: Questions about pandemic-related consequences for HIV care were completed by 225 (95%) sites in 42 countries with low (n = 82), medium (n = 86) and high (n = 57) HIV prevalence, including low- (n = 57), lower-middle (n = 79), upper-middle (n = 39) and high- (n = 50) income countries. Most sites reported being subject to pandemic-related restrictions on travel, service provision or other operations (75%), and experiencing negative impacts (76%) on clinic operations, including decreased hours/days, reduced provider availability, clinic reconfiguration for COVID-19 services, record-keeping interruptions and suspension of partner support. Almost all sites in low-prevalence and high-income countries reported increased use of telemedicine (85% and 100%, respectively), compared with less than half of sites in high-prevalence and lower-income settings. Few sites in high-prevalence settings (2%) reported suspending antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinic services, and many reported adopting mitigation strategies to support adherence, including multi-month dispensing of ART (95%) and designating community ART pick-up points (44%). While few sites (5%) reported stockouts of first-line ART regimens, 10-11% reported stockouts of second- and third-line regimens, respectively, primarily in high-prevalence and lower-income settings. Interruptions in HIV viral load (VL) testing included suspension of testing (22%), longer turnaround times (41%) and supply/reagent stockouts (22%), but did not differ across settings. Conclusions: While many sites in high HIV prevalence settings and lower-income countries reported introducing or expanding measures to support treatment adherence and continuity of care, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in disruptions to VL testing and ART supply chains that may negatively affect the quality of HIV care in these settings.