1261. Alarming High Rate of HIV Detected by Testing and Prevention Opportunities: Observations From the Largest HIV Program in Liberia

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BackgroundHIV/AIDS remains one of the world’s most significant public health challenges. Sub-Saharan Africa is home to only 12% of the world’s population, yet accounts for 71% of the global burden of HIV infection. While the HIV prevalence among reproductive aged Liberians (age 15–49 years) is estimated at 1.9%. As the critical first step in HIV disease management is detection of cases, it is important to optimize HIV testing particularly among high-risk groups. Identifying these high-risk groups for HIV infection also provides information on prevention opportunities. We report on 5 year HIV testing data at a tertiary hospital in Monrovia, Liberia stratified by age and gender.MethodsA single-center academic hospital-based retrospective analysis of HIV testing data over a period of 5 years (January 2014 to December 2018) obtained from the Infectious Disease Center (IDC) of John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Monrovia, Liberia. The IDC has a peer-led counseling program on site and offers HIV testing daily. Data on the study population (all individuals screened for HIV disease at the center) was extracted from ledgers and registries within the IDC. The following information was collected on all participants: age, sex, and pregnancy status. Positive test results are reported as simple proportions of either all patients or all individuals tested within the category reported.ResultsOver the 5-year study period, 41,343 individuals were screened for HIV disease including 2 key demographics - 7875 individuals aged 15–24 years and 24,913 pregnant women. 4,066 individuals were diagnosed with HIV (a case detection rate of 10%), and ranged from 7% (909/12821) in 2018 to 13% (678/5079) in 2014. Case detection rates for individuals aged 15–24 were 7%, 5%, 4%, 6% and 3% for years 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively. From 2014–2018, 2–3% of all pregnant women tested were diagnosed with HIV infection. Almost three-quarters (74%) of diagnosed cases were subsequently enrolled in an HIV clinic.ConclusionA peer-led HIV testing program is effective in HIV case detection, with young individuals (aged 15–24 years) and pregnant women having higher case detection rates than expected. These findings highlight opportunities for HIV prevention targeting these high-risk groups.Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.