WHO's Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) proposes we measure the functional construct of intrinsic capacity (IC) to monitor and identify individuals with age-associated vulnerabilities. Assessments of IC may be useful to address the evolving, non-HV care needs of ageing people with HIV (PWH). However, to date, its utility within the context of HIV has not been assessed. Participants included 200 PWH attending out-patient care (2021-2023) in Universiti Malaya Medical Centre, Malaysia and 101 community controls aged 35 years and above. The ICOPE framework was adapted to derive aggregate IC scores (ranging 0-6) encompassing the five domains of cognition, sensory (hearing and vision), mobility, mood and vitality. Multivariable analyses were used to explore the association of IC scores in PWH with multiple health outcomes including frailty, difficulties performing instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) and inflammatory markers. Area under the receiver operator characteristic (AUC-ROC) was calculated to predict frailty and IADL deficits in the current cohort and an independent cohort of 275 PWH from Hong Kong (HK). Median (interquartile range, IQR) age among PWH and controls were 50 (42-56) and 50 (39-59) years, respectively. There were more males among PWH (83% vs. 56%, p<0.001). All PWH received antiretroviral therapy (ART) for a median duration of 11 (8-14) years. Aggregate IC scores were lower in PWH but not significantly different compared to controls, (5.4 vs. 5.6, p=0.093) and PWH performed significantly worse than controls only in the cognitive domain. Aggregate IC scores in PWH was independently associated with frailty (OR 0.17 95% CI 0.07-0.42, p<0.001), IADL deficits (OR 0.25 95% CI 0.14-0.46, p<0.001) and all other patient-reported outcomes assessed. Aggregate IC scores correlated with IL-6 but not sCD14 and sCD163 levels. IC scores performed well in identifying PWH with frailty (AUC-ROC ≥ 0.80) in the HK and Malaysian cohorts but more modestly (AUC-ROC ≥ 0.64) for IADL deficits. IC is a good composite measure to monitor non-HIV, age-associated physical and social vulnerabilities in PWH on ART and should complement disease-based monitoring in routine HIV care. Assessments of IC should be validated in larger, longitudinal cohorts of PWH from diverse settings.

Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) account for two-thirds of new HIV infections in Africa. African AGYW have had high uptake of oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) but low adherence, which might be improved by point-of-care adherence monitoring with tailored counselling. From August 2022 to July 2023, we conducted a PrEP demonstration project with sexually active AGYW ages 16-30 years from 20 sites in South Africa, Eswatini, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda and Zambia. Participants were offered oral tenofovir-based PrEP at enrolment and followed up at 1, 3 and 6 months. PrEP adherence was assessed by a point-of-care qualitative lateral flow urine tenofovir (TFV) assay indicating PrEP use in the prior 4 days, which accompanied real-time adherence counselling that incorporated urine TFV results when testing was available (70.8% of month 1, 35.3% of month 3 and 83.9% of month 6 visits). We estimated overall adherence, correcting for missing test results, and analysed the association of having received urine TFV results at month 1 or 3 with subsequent urine TFV test positivity, using modified Poisson regression. Of the 3087 AGYW enrolled, the median age was 24 years (interquartile range 21-27), 75.7% were from South Africa, 2878 (93.2%) initiated PrEP at enrolment and 107 (3.5%) after enrolment. Visit retention was 92.0-96.2% for months 1, 3 and 6, and 2518 (90.1%) exited the study with a PrEP refill. Adherence, based on the point-of-care urine tenofovir test positivity rate, was estimated as 72%, 71% and 65% at months 1, 3 and 6, respectively. Women who received one prior urine TFV test had a 42% higher likelihood of a subsequent positive urine TFV test (adjusted odds ratio, OR = 1.42, 95% confidence interval, CI 1.27-1.60), and those having received two prior tests had a 67% higher likelihood (adjusted OR = 1.67; 95% CI 1.41-1.98). Observed HIV incidence was 1.38/100 person-years (95% CI 0.97-2.08). Oral PrEP uptake, recent adherence and persistence were high in a multisite cohort of young African women over 6 months of follow-up. The use of a novel point-of-care tenofovir assay with tailored real-time adherence counselling was associated with increased adherence to PrEP at subsequent visits, warranting further study. clinicaltrials.gov NCT05746065.

In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), men who have sex with men (MSM) often have female sexual partners. Their overall risk of acquiring HIV is higher with male partners. Risk perception is associated with HIV knowledge, sexual risk and preventive behaviours. This synthesis aimed to summarize existing data about HIV knowledge and perceived HIV acquisition risk regarding sex with men and with women in MSM in SSA. We conducted a systematic literature review of MSM's relationships with women in SSA (PROSPERO-CRD42021237836). Quantitative and qualitative data related to MSM's perceived risk from sex with men and with women and HIV knowledge (published up to 2021) were selected and synthesized. Twenty studies were selected. More MSM perceived that the greatest risk of HIV acquisition came from heterosexual/vaginal sex than from homosexual/anal sex (53% vs. 15%; 51% vs. 39%; 42% vs. 8%; 27% vs. 25%; 43% vs. 11%; 23% vs. 13%; 35% vs. 16%, cumulative sample n = 4396, six countries). A higher proportion of MSM received preventive information on heterosexual HIV transmission than on homosexual transmission (79% vs. 22%; 94% vs. 67%; 54% vs. 19%; cumulative sample n = 1199, four countries). The qualitative synthesis (eight studies) highlighted biology- and behaviour-based misconceptions leading MSM to perceive lower or negligible HIV risk from sex with men, compared to sex with women. These misconceptions were partly fuelled by the predominant focus on heterosexual and vaginal HIV transmission in HIV prevention information. Common misconceptions regarding sexual risk between men remain unaddressed by the heteronormative messaging of HIV prevention. Underestimation by MSM of their HIV acquisition risk with male partners can pose significant barriers to effective HIV preventive behaviours and strengthen the transmission risk from MSM to their female partners. Improving access of MSM to tailored HIV prevention information and tools that address their practices with male and female partners is crucial. Integrating messages about anal sex into broader public health initiatives, including sexual health programmes targeting the general population, is essential. Further research in diverse settings in SSA is necessary to gain a greater understanding of the drivers and implications of HIV risk perception in MSM.

The retention in care of patients undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a cornerstone for preventing AIDS-associated morbidity and mortality, as well as further transmission of HIV. Adherence to ART poses particular challenges in conflict-affected settings like the Central African Republic (CAR). The study objective was to estimate the rate of lost-to-follow-up (LTFU) and determine factors associated with LTFU among patients living with HIV under ART in CAR. A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted using data from patients being managed at 42 representative ART dispensing sites (i.e. management of ≥200 patients) in the seven health regions of CAR which started ART between January 2019 to September 2021 and followed up to December 2021. The outcome of LTFU was defined as a failure of a patient to attend a scheduled ART refill appointment for at least 90 days from the last appointment. Patients were censored at the first LTFU event. A total of 6844 patients enrolled in ART care were included in the analysis, of whom 67.5% were females. The mean age (standard deviation) was 35.3 years (10.5). Forty-two per cent (n = 2874/6844) had an LTFU event during the follow-up period. However, 23.2% (n = 666/2874) returned to care after LTFU. Overall retention in antiretroviral care at 12 months was 64.2% (CI 63.0-65.5), which ranged from 76.1% in the capital to 48.2% in the inner country region. Risk factors related to LTFU were being male (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.33; CI 1.1-1.5), age < 25 (aHR 1.46; CI 1.1-1.9), living in regions outside the capital (aHR 1.83; CI 1.6-2.3) and undernutrition (aHR 1.13; CI 1.0-1.3). Retention to care in CAR is suboptimal, especially in the inner country. Our results underline the difficulties involved in retaining patients in ART in complex settings, the interplay between poor retention, social unrest, stigma, food insecurity and HIV epidemic control, and the need for tailored programming and interventions like differentiated treatment strategies and complementary food provision.

Due to a lack of robust population denominators, Australia is unable to accurately monitor changes in the HIV epidemic for some populations. The ratio of HIV transmission relative to the number of people with HIV (an incidence prevalence ratio, or IPR) can measure such changes. The IPR is measured against an IPR benchmark derived from post-HIV acquisition life expectancy, to indicate whether an HIV epidemic is shrinking or growing. Using IPRs and Australia-specific IPR benchmarks, this study aims to describe the Australian HIV epidemic among three groups: men with HIV attributed to male-to-male sex, women with HIV and people with HIV attributed to injection drug use. Using mathematical modelling derived from HIV notifications, cohort and administrative data, IPRs were generated for each of the three groups. These IPRs were compared with IPR benchmarks derived from post-HIV acquisition mortality estimates using abridged life tables for men, women and people who inject drugs. The IPR benchmark for men was applied to people with HIV attributed to male-to-male sex. Trends in the IPR over time were described for each reported population from 2015 to 2022. Overall, the IPR fell by 80%, from 0.040 (range: 0.034-0.045) in 2015 to 0.008 (range: 0.003-0.013) in 2022 and fell below the benchmark (0.022) in 2020. Among people with HIV attributed to male-to-male sex, the IPR fell by 85%, from 0.041 (range: 0.034-0.047) in 2015 to 0.006 (range: 0.003-0.024) in 2022 and fell below the benchmark (0.022) in 2020. Among women with HIV, the IPR fell by 56%, from 0.032 (range: 0.026-0.039) in 2015 to 0.014 (range: 0.003-0.029) in 2022 and fell below the benchmark (0.022) in 2019. Among people with HIV attributed to injection drug use, the IPR fell by 61%, from 0.036 (range: 0.022-0.047) in 2015 to 0.014 (range: 0.002-0.057) in 2022 and fell below the benchmark (0.028) in 2019. Australian IPRs in all populations examined have dropped below the level required to sustain the HIV epidemic at current levels. By applying this method in other contexts, the changing scale of HIV epidemics may be better described for populations lacking robust population denominators.

Effective linkage to prevention and care is a crucial step following HIV testing services. This systematic review aimed to determine the proportion of individuals linked to prevention and care after HIV self-testing (HIVST) and describe factors associated with linkage. Following PRISMA guidelines, a comprehensive search across eight databases (2010-October 2023) identified studies on linkage to care after HIVST, defined as receiving a confirmatory test or initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) if the self-test was reactive, and/or pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) if the self-test was non-reactive. A random-effects meta-analysis summarized the findings and meta-regression explored study-level covariates, such as world region, population type and service delivery model, that might explain the between-study heterogeneity. From 10,071 screened studies, 173 were included in the meta-analysis. The majority of studies focused on key populations in Africa using unassisted, oral fluid-based HIVST kits. Among those with reactive HIVST results, 92% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 88-95) were linked to confirmatory testing (n = 124 studies), and 89% (95% CI: 84-93) of newly diagnosed individuals initiated ART (n = 88 studies). Overall, 84% (95% CI: 74-93) of self-testers were linked to care (n = 69 studies). However, only 9% (95% CI: 2-19) of individuals with non-reactive HIVST results were linked to PrEP services (n = 9 studies). Assisted HIVST was associated with higher linkage rates to confirmatory testing and ART initiation compared to unassisted testing. Meta-regression revealed that the type of delivery model for the HIVST kits influenced linkage and that individuals who obtained their HIVST kits through a social network-based approach (SNA) were more likely to be linked to confirmatory testing (adjusted odds ratio = 1.28 [95% CI: 1.10-1.50], p = 0.001) compared to non-SNA service delivery model. In the context of expanding HIVST services globally, we found that linkage to confirmatory testing and ART initiation after HIVST is generally high, particularly when assisted HIVST or SNA-based distribution is used. Strengthening timely linkage is vital for improving health outcomes, reducing HIV transmission and achieving the UNAIDS 95-95-95 goal. Ongoing research and collaboration with community-based organizations are needed to overcoming barriers and ensuring positive outcomes for those using HIVST. CRD42022357570.

Disengagement and re-engagement with antiretroviral therapy (ART) are common in South Africa, but routine monitoring is insufficient to inform policy development. To address this gap, Anova implemented the 2020 National Adherence Guidelines' re-engagement standard operating procedure (re-engagement SOP) and collected additional data to describe the characteristics of re-engagement visits to inform HIV programmes. Between July and December 2022, we conducted a study at nine primary healthcare facilities in Johannesburg. Staff were trained on the re-engagement SOP and provided with job aides to support implementation. Administration clerks categorized visits based on the time elapsed since the missed appointment: ≤14days and >14 days, with the latter identified as re-engaging. For these clients, clinicians filled out "re-engagement clinical assessment forms" that included visit dates, both clinician-assessed and self-reported treatment interruptions, and clinical details. Data on missed appointments and previous viral loads were extracted from medical records. The information was entered into REDCap. We present data from three out of the nine facilities, selected for their comprehensive data collection and high coverage of all re-engaging clients. A total of 2342 clients returned following a missed scheduled appointment. The majority, 1523 (65%), missed their appointments by ≤ 14 days, while 819 (35%) were >14 days late (re-engaging). Among those re-engaging, 635 (78%) re-engagement clinical assessment forms were completed. A missed appointment date was available for 623 with 25% (n = 161) returning 2-4 weeks late, 47% (n = 298) 4-12 weeks and 26% (n = 164) >12 weeks late. Self-reported ART interruption, available for 89% (567/635), indicated the majority (54%, n = 304) experienced no interruption. Clinical concerns were identified in 65 (10%) cases. A majority (79%, 504/635) had prior viral load results, with 73% (370/504) below 50 copies/ml. Clients frequently return to care shortly after missed appointments. Despite missing scheduled ART refill dates, many report not interrupting treatment, either having treatment on hand or sourcing ART elsewhere. Most re-engaging clients were adherent prior to disengagement, and clinical concerns are rare. A differentiated service delivery approach, prioritizing flexibility and reduced healthcare burden, is required to support client's needs and preferences at re-engagement.

Adverse metabolic effects related to dolutegravir (DTG) are increasingly reported as countries are adopting DTG-based regimens as first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART), but there is limited data from sub-Saharan Africa. We explored changes in body weight pre- and post-switch to a DTG-based regimen and assessed the association between DTG switch and significant weight gain (SWG) defined as a ≥10% increase over a 12-month period in people living with HIV (PLHIV) on ART in West Africa. We first included all PLHIV followed in the IeDEA West Africa cohorts between January 2017 and June 2021, with a documented switch to DTG during 2019-2021 and in care ≥36 months at the day of switch. Weight change was estimated using a two slope piecewise linear mixed model with change point at the switch date. Secondly, we emulated a sequence of target trials (ETT) based on the observational data, performing pooled logistic regression analysis to compare SWG occurrence between PLHIV who switched to DTG and those who did not. We first included 6705 PLHIV from Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire and Nigeria. Their median age at the time of switch was 48 years (IQR: 42-54) with a median follow-up of 9 years (IQR: 6-12), 63% were female. Most patients switched from efavirenz (EFV)-based ART (56.6%) and nevirapine (NVP)-based ART (30.9%). The overall post-switch annual average weight gain (AAWG) was significantly elevated at 3.07 kg/year [95% CI: 2.33-3.80] compared to the pre-switch AWG which stood at 0.62 kg/year [95% CI: 0.36-0.88]. The post-switch AWG was greater in patients previously on EFV and protease inhibitor (PI)-based ART compared to those on NVP-based ART. The pooled logistic regression analyses of a sequence of 24 ETT, including 9598 person-trials, switching to DTG was significantly associated with an SWG (aOR = 2.54; 95% CI = 2.18-2.97). In West Africa, a 12-month DTG exposure was associated with substantial weight gain, especially in PLHIV previously on EFV and PI-based ARTs. Continuous weight monitoring and metabolic profiling is imperative in HIV cohorts to delineate the long-term cardiometabolic impact of DTG as patients with, or at elevated risk for cardiovascular diseases might benefit from alternative ART regimens.