Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36809236›Full record

ArticleGlobal health action2023

Maintaining HIV testing and treatment services in Zambia during COVID-19: a story of success and resilience.

Tina Chisenga, Menard Chihana, Paul Chishimba, Lastone Chitembo, Lloyd Mulenga, Andrew Silumesii, David Maman, Cheryl Johnson

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Global health action, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.8field-weighted citation impact, top 32% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Tina ChisengaMinistry of Health Zambia, Department of Communicable Diseases, Lusaka, Zambia.
Menard ChihanaWorld Health Organization, Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes, Geneva, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0003-2616-9894
Paul ChishimbaMinistry of Health Zambia, Department of Monitoring and Evaluation, Lusaka, Zambia.
Lastone ChitemboWorld Health Organization, Department of HIV, Viral Hepatitis and STIs, Lusaka, Zambia.
Lloyd MulengaDepartment of Infectious Disease, University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia.
Andrew SilumesiiMinistry of Health Zambia, Department of Monitoring and Evaluation, Lusaka, Zambia.
David MamanWorld Health Organization, Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes, Geneva, Switzerland.
Cheryl JohnsonWorld Health Organization, Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes, Geneva, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0001-5499-5523
Ministry of Health · ZMWorld Health Organization · CHGlobal Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria · CHUniversity Teaching Hospital · ZMWorld Health Organization - Zambia · ZM

Funding

World Health Organization 001
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by a virus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus. As countries struggled to control the spread of the virus through among other measures closure of health facilities, repurposing of health care workers, and restrictions on people's movement, HIV service delivery was affected.

objectivesTo assess the impact of COVID-19 on HIV service delivery in Zambia by comparing uptake of HIV services before and during COVID-19.

methodsWe used repeated cross-sectional quarterly and monthly data on HIV testing, HIV positivity rate, people living with HIV initiating ART and use of essential hospital services from July 2018 to December 2020. We assessed quarterly trends and measured proportionate changes comparing periods before and during COVID-19 divided into three different comparison time frames: (1) annual comparison 2019 versus 2020; (2) April to December 2019 versus same period in 2020; and (3) Quarter 1 of 2020 as base period versus each of the other quarters of year 2020.

resultsAnnual HIV testing dropped by 43.7% (95%CI 43.6-43.7) in 2020 compared to 2019 and was similar by sex. Overall, annual recorded number of newly diagnosed PLHIV fell by 26.5% (95% CI 26.37-26.73) in 2020 compared to 2019, but HIV positivity rate was higher in 2020, 6.44% (95%CI 6.41-6.47) compared to 4.94% (95% CI 4.92-4.96) in 2019. Annual ART initiation dropped by 19.9% (95%CI 19.7-20.0) in 2020 compared to 2019 while use of essential hospital services dropped during the early months of COVID-19 April to August 2020 but picked up later in the year.

conclusionWhile COVID-19 had a negative impact on health service delivery, its impact on HIV service delivery was not huge. HIV policies that were implemented before COVID-19 on testing made it easier to adopt COVID-19 control measures and to continue providing HIV testing services without much disruption.

Indexed as

COVID-19HIV InfectionsCross-Sectional StudiesHIV TestingHumansZambiaARTCovid-19health service deliveryHIVHIV testing services

Identifiers

PMID36809236
PMCPMC9946302
OpenAlexW4321445101

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.