Coverage of Isoniazid Preventive Therapy (IPT) among People Living With HIV (PLHIV) registered at ART centre in a public health facility of Western India

Abstract

BackgroundNACO implemented an Isoniazid 6-month preventive therapy (IPT) among PLHIV for the prevention of the incidence of tuberculosis in such a vulnerable population. Here, we evaluated the coverage of IPT among PLHIV and the factors associated with the coverage of IPT in Western India. MethodsData from 2017 to 2021 was collected from the ART centre as anonymous numerical data and it was kept confidential. ResultsRecords of 1332 PLHIV registered during the study period were included in the study. Out of 1332 registered PLHIV, 759 (56.98%) of them received IPT. The majority of the PLHIV were males (58.03%), within the age group of 25–50 years (77.63%), literate (76.43%), employed (62.76%), and were urban area residents (57.13%). The coverage of IPT was relatively higher in the age group of 25–50 years (59%), literate (58.6%), employed (58.37%), and those living in urban areas (59.6%). ConclusionsThe study evaluated the IPT coverage of around 57% among PLHIV registered at ART during 2017–2021. However, the coverage dropped to 48.4% in the year 2020 due to the pandemic. Sociodemographic factors like PLHIV in the age group of 25–50 years, their literacy status, and urban residents were found to be significantly associated with better IPT coverage.