ArticleJournal of the International AIDS Society2022
Protecting the gains: analysis of HIV treatment and service delivery programme data and interventions implemented in 19 African countries during COVID-19.
Article in Journal of the International AIDS Society, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 26 citations in OpenAlex.
- Impact of COVID-19 on Utilization of Healthcare Services Among People Living with HIV (PLHIV): A Systematic Review.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Pooled it
- Syndemic effect of COVID-19 outbreak on HIV care delivery around the globe: A systematic review using narrative synthesis.Health promotion perspectives · 2023Pooled it
- Changes in Care and Outcome for Children and Adolescents Living With HIV/AIDS During the COVID19 Pandemic in Germany-A Longitudinal Study.Health science reports · 2026Article
- A longitudinal study examining determinants of essential health services during the COVID-19 pandemic in regional referral hospitals across Uganda.Scientific reports · 2025Observational
- Trends in continuity of treatment among children and adolescents living with HIV in 14 districts in South Africa from 2018-2023: A retrospective program analysis.IJID regions · 2024Article
- The impact of COVID-19 restrictions on HIV prevention and treatment services for key populations in South Africa: an interrupted time series analysis.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Indicator-condition-guided HIV testing in rural DRC.Infection · 2024Article
- Temporal dynamics and drivers of durable HIV viral load suppression and persistent high- and low-level viraemia during Universal Test and Treat scale-up in Uganda: a population-based study.Journal of the International AIDS Society · 2024Article
- Influence of the SARS-COV2 pandemic on access to healthcare services among people living with HIV and its subsequent effects on antiretroviral therapy uptake in Malawi.PLOS global public health · 2024Article
- Lessons for Strengthening a Resilient Health System from the View of Health Facilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study.Risk management and healthcare policy · 2024Article
- "Life mapping" exploring the lived experience of COVID-19 on access to HIV treatment and care in Malawi.Gates open research · 2024Article
- Assessing changes in adolescent girls' and young women's sexual and reproductive health service utilisation following a COVID-19 lockdown in eSwatini.Global health action · 2023Article
- SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and associated factors, based on HIV serostatus, in young people in Sofala province, Mozambique.BMC infectious diseases · 2023Article
- Vital Signs: Progress Toward Eliminating HIV as a Global Public Health Threat Through Scale-Up of Antiretroviral Therapy and Health System Strengthening Supported by the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief - Worldwide, 2004-2022.MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report · 2023Article
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the provision and uptake of services for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Zimbabwe.PLOS global public health · 2023Article
- Impact of Hospital Closure on Patients with Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Uganda: A Cross-Sectional and Mixed-Methods Study.Risk management and healthcare policy · 2023Article
- Unexpected effects of COVID-19 outbreak: adaption of Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) delivery policies improved adherence in a population of People Living With HIV (PLWH).Le infezioni in medicina · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
48 authors at 20 institutions in 23 countries.
Funding
Abstract
introductionThe potential disruption in antiretroviral therapy (ART) services in Africa at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic raised concern for increased morbidity and mortality among people living with HIV (PLHIV). We describe HIV treatment trends before and during the pandemic and interventions implemented to mitigate COVID-19 impact among countries supported by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
methodsWe analysed quantitative and qualitative data reported by 10,387 PEPFAR-CDC-supported ART sites in 19 African countries between October 2019 and March 2021. Trends in PLHIV on ART, new ART initiations and treatment interruptions were assessed. Viral load coverage (testing of eligible PLHIV) and viral suppression were calculated at select time points. Qualitative data were analysed to summarize facility- and community-based interventions implemented to mitigate COVID-19.
resultsThe total number of PLHIV on ART increased quarterly from October 2019 (n = 7,540,592) to March 2021 (n = 8,513,572). The adult population (≥15 years) on ART increased by 14.0% (7,005,959-7,983,793), while the paediatric population (<15 years) on ART declined by 2.6% (333,178-324,441). However, the number of new ART initiations dropped between March 2020 and June 2020 by 23.4% for adults and 26.1% for children, with more rapid recovery in adults than children from September 2020 onwards. Viral load coverage increased slightly from April 2020 to March 2021 (75-78%) and viral load suppression increased from October 2019 to March 2021 (91-94%) among adults and children combined. The most reported interventions included multi-month dispensing (MMD) of ART, community service delivery expansion, and technology and virtual platforms use for client engagement and site-level monitoring. MMD of ≥3 months increased from 52% in October 2019 to 78% of PLHIV ≥ age 15 on ART in March 2021.
conclusionsWith an overall increase in the number of people on ART, HIV programmes proved to be resilient, mitigating the impact of COVID-19. However, the decline in the number of children on ART warrants urgent investigation and interventions to prevent further losses experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic and future public health emergencies.
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