OpenUCT :: Browsing by Department "Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Research (CIDER)"

Browsing by Department "Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Research (CIDER)"

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Open Access
A comparison of self-report and antiretroviral detection to inform estimates of antiretroviral therapy coverage, viral load suppression and HIV incidence in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
(BioMed Central, 2017-09-29) Huerga, Helena; Shiferie, Fisseha; Grebe, Eduard; Giuliani, Ruggero; Farhat, Jihane B; Van-Cutsem, Gilles; Cohen, Karen
Background: Accurately identifying individuals who are on antiretroviral therapy (ART) is important to determine ART coverage and proportion on ART who are virally suppressed. ART is also included in recent infection testing algorithms used to estimate incidence. We compared estimates of ART coverage, viral load suppression rates and HIV incidence using ART self-report and detection of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs and we identified factors associated with discordance between the methods. Methods: Cross-sectional population-based survey in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Individuals 15–59 years were eligible. Interviews included questions about ARV use. Rapid HIV testing was performed at the participants’ home. Blood specimens were collected for ARV detection, LAg-Avidity HIV incidence testing and viral load quantification in HIV-positive individuals. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to identify socio-demographic covariates associated with discordance between self-reported ART and ARV detection. Results: Of the 5649 individuals surveyed, 1423 were HIV-positive. Median age was 34 years and 76.3% were women. ART coverage was estimated at 51.4% (95%CI:48.5–54.3), 53.1% (95%CI:50.2–55.9) and 56.1% (95%CI:53.5–58.8) using self-reported ART, ARV detection and both methods combined (classified as ART exposed if ARV detected and/or ART reported) respectively. ART coverage estimates using the 3 methods were fairly similar within sex and age categories except in individuals aged 15–19 years: 33.3% (95%CI:23.3–45.2), 33.8% (95%CI:23.9–45.4%) and 44.3% (95%CI:39.3–46.7) using self-reported ART, ARV detection and both methods combined. Viral suppression below 1000cp/mL in individuals on ART was estimated at 89.8% (95%CI:87.3–91.9), 93.1% (95%CI:91.0–94.8) and 88.7% (95%CI:86.2–90.7) using self-reported ART, ARV detection and both methods combined respectively. HIV incidence was estimated at 1.4 (95%CI:0.8–2.0) new cases/100 person-years when employing no measure of ARV use, 1.1/100PY (95%CI:0.6–1.7) using self-reported ART, and 1.2/100PY (95%CI:0.7–1.7) using ARV detection. In multivariate analyses, individuals aged 15–19 years had a higher risk of discordance on measures of ARV exposure (aOR:9.4; 95%CI:3.9–22.8), while migrants had a lower risk (aOR:0.3; 95%CI:0.1–0.6). Conclusions: In KwaZulu-Natal, the method of identifying ARV use had little impact on estimates of ART coverage, viral suppression rate and HIV incidence. However, discordant results were more common in younger individuals. This may skew estimates of ART coverage and viral suppression, particularly in adolescent surveys.
Open Access
Cohort Profile: The Western Cape Pregnancy Exposure Registry (WCPER)
(2022-06) Kalk, Emma; Heekes, Alexa; Slogrove, Amy; Phelanyane, Florence; Davies, Mary-Ann; Myer, Landon; Euvrard, Jonathan; Kroon, Max; Petro, Greg; Fieggen, Karen; Stewart, Chantal; Rhoda, Natasha; Gebhardt, Stefan; Osman, Ayesha; Anderson, Kim; Boulle, Andrew; Mehta, Ushma
Purpose: The Western Cape Pregnancy Exposure Registry (PER) was established at two public sector healthcare sentinel sites in the Western Cape province, South Africa, to provide ongoing surveillance of drug exposures in pregnancy and associations with pregnancy outcomes. Participants: Established in 2016, all women attending their first antenatal visit at primary care obstetric facilities were enrolled and followed to pregnancy outcome regardless of the site (ie, primary, secondary, tertiary facility). Routine operational obstetric and medical data are digitised from the clinical stationery at the healthcare facilities. Data collection has been integrated into existing services and information platforms and supports routine operations. The PER is situated within the Provincial Health Data Centre, an information exchange that harmonises and consolidates all health-related electronic data in the province. Data are contributed via linkage across a unique identifier. This relationship limits the missing data in the PER, allows validation and avoids misclassification in the population-level data set. Findings to date: Approximately 5000 and 3500 pregnant women enter the data set annually at the urban and rural sites, respectively. As of August 2021, >30 000 pregnancies have been recorded and outcomes have been determined for 93%. Analysis of key obstetric and neonatal health indicators derived from the PER are consistent with the aggregate data in the District Health Information System. Future plans: This represents significant infrastructure, able to address clinical and epidemiological concerns in a low/middle-income setting.
Open Access
Correction to: Drivers of HIV-1 drug resistance to non-nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) in nine southern African countries: a modelling study
(2021-10-25) Riou, Julien; Dupont, Carole; Bertagnolio, Silvia; Gupta, Ravindra K.; Kouyos, Roger D.; Egger, Matthias; Althaus, Christian L.
Open Access
Determining antenatal medicine exposures in South African women: a comparison of three methods of ascertainment
(2022-06-03) van der Hoven, Jani; Allen, Elizabeth; Cois, Annibale; de Waal, Renee; Maartens, Gary; Myer, Landon; Malaba, Thokozile; Madlala, Hlengiwe; Nyemba, Dorothy; Phelanyane, Florence; Boulle, Andrew; Mehta, Ushma; Kalk, Emma
Background In the absence of clinical trials, data on the safety of medicine exposures in pregnancy are dependent on observational studies conducted after the agent has been licensed for use. This requires an accurate history of antenatal medicine use to determine potential risks. Medication use is commonly determined by self-report, clinician records, and electronic pharmacy data; different data sources may be more informative for different types of medication and resources may differ by setting. We compared three methods to determine antenatal medicine use (self-report, clinician records and electronic pharmacy dispensing records [EDR]) in women attending antenatal care at a primary care facility in Cape Town, South Africa in a setting with high HIV prevalence. Methods Structured, interview-administered questionnaires recorded self-reported medicine use. Data were collected from clinician records and EDR on the same participants. We determined agreement between these data sources using Cohen’s kappa and, lacking a gold standard, used Latent Class Analysis to estimate sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value (PPV) for each data source. Results Between 55% and 89% of 967 women had any medicine use documented depending on the data source (median number of medicines/participant = 5 [IQR 3–6]). Agreement between the datasets was poor regardless of class except for antiretroviral therapy (ART; kappa 0.6–0.71). Overall, agreement was better between the EDR and self-report than with either dataset and the clinician records. Sensitivity and PPV were higher for self-report and the EDR and were similar for the two. Self-report was the best source for over-the-counter, traditional and complementary medicines; clinician records for vaccines and supplements; and EDR for chronic medicines. Conclusions Medicine use in pregnancy was common and no single data source included all the medicines used. ART was the most consistently reported across all three datasets but otherwise agreement between them was poor and dependent on class. Using a single data collection method will under-estimate medicine use in pregnancy and the choice of data source should be guided by the class of the agents being investigated.
Open Access
The diagnostic ability of pediatric transthoracic echocardiography in the current era : a segmental appraisal
(2009) Border, William L; Swingler, George H
Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) plays a crucial role in the care of pediatric patients with heart disease. However, despite numerus recent technological advances, there has been little re-assessment of its accuracy. We sought to systematically assess the diagnostic accuracy of pediatric TTE in the current era.
Open Access
Drivers of HIV-1 drug resistance to non-nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) in nine southern African countries: a modelling study
(2021-10-07) Riou, Julien; Dupont, Carole; Bertagnolio, Silvia; Gupta, Ravindra K.; Kouyos, Roger D.; Egger, Matthias; L. Althaus, Christian
Introduction The rise of HIV-1 drug resistance to non-nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI) threatens antiretroviral therapy's long-term success (ART). NNRTIs will remain an essential drug for the management of HIV-1 due to safety concerns associated with integrase inhibitors. We fitted a dynamic transmission model to historical data from 2000 to 2018 in nine countries of southern Africa to understand the mechanisms that have shaped the HIV-1 epidemic and the rise of pretreatment NNRTI resistance. Methods We included data on HIV-1 prevalence, ART coverage, HIV-related mortality, and survey data on pretreatment NNRTI resistance from nine southern Africa countries from a systematic review, UNAIDS and World Bank. Using a Bayesian hierarchical framework, we developed a dynamic transmission model linking data on the HIV-1 epidemic to survey data on NNRTI drug resistance in each country. We estimated the proportion of resistance attributable to unregulated, off-programme use of ART. We examined each national ART programme's vulnerability to NNRTI resistance by defining a fragility index: the ratio of the rate of NNRTI resistance emergence during first-line ART over the rate of switching to second-line ART. We explored associations between fragility and characteristics of the health system of each country. Results The model reliably described the dynamics of the HIV-1 epidemic and NNRTI resistance in each country. Predicted levels of resistance in 2018 ranged between 3.3% (95% credible interval 1.9–7.1) in Mozambique and 25.3% (17.9–33.8) in Eswatini. The proportion of pretreatment NNRTI resistance attributable to unregulated antiretroviral use ranged from 6% (2–14) in Eswatini to 64% (26–85) in Mozambique. The fragility index was low in Botswana (0.01; 0.0–0.11) but high in Namibia (0.48; 0.16–10.17), Eswatini (0.64; 0.23–11.8) and South Africa (1.21; 0.83–9.84). The combination of high fragility of ART programmes and high ART coverage levels was associated with a sharp increase in pretreatment NNRTI resistance. Conclusions This comparison of nine countries shows that pretreatment NNRTI resistance can be controlled despite high ART coverage levels. This was the case in Botswana, Mozambique, and Zambia, most likely because of better HIV care delivery, including rapid switching to second-line ART of patients failing first-line ART.
Open Access
Effect of diabetes and HIV on radiographic manifestations of pulmonary tuberculosis
(2017) Berkowitz, Natacha; Oni, Tolullah
Due to the epidemiological transition, diabetes prevalence in South Africa is increasing, while HIV prevalence remains high. Diabetes, along with HIV, has been found to be a significant risk factor for the development of tuberculosis. Early detection and treatment of tuberculosis is essential to prevent unwarranted morbidity and mortality. This hinges on efficient diagnostic methods and tools. The chest radiograph remains a cornerstone in pulmonary tuberculosis diagnosis, especially in those where microbiological evidence of disease is lacking. A study was conducted to investigate the chest radiographic presentation of pulmonary tuberculosis in patients with diabetes, as well as to analyse the effect of HIV comorbidity on this association. The study was conducted in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, an area with a high tuberculosis, HIV and diabetes burden. A literature review was conducted to identify the key features of pulmonary tuberculosis on chest radiograph for patients with diabetes and HIV. We found that patients with diabetes were more likely to have lower lung field infiltrates and increased cavitation, with glycaemic control affecting the presence of these findings. Patients with HIV presented more often with features of primary tuberculosis on chest radiograph, namely hilar and/or mediastinal adenopathy, diffuse reticulonodular infiltrate, and lower lung field (LLF) infiltrates and cavities. These features were influenced by degree of immunosuppression. This review also found that there was no literature describing the influence of HIV on the chest radiographic features of tuberculosis in patients with diabetes. This study was conducted between June 2013 - October 2015, where 377 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, from Ubuntu and Site B primary care clinics in Khayelitsha, underwent posterior-anterior chest radiography. Chest radiographs were read using a CRRS tool. Participants with diabetes and tuberculosis (TBDM) had a higher proportion of lower lung field opacification (76,2%: 95% CI: 56,3 – 96,1) and were 3,92 times more likely to have LLF cavitations than patients with TB only. TBDM participants with HbA1c levels over 10% had more frequent LLF involvement overall (90,9% vs 61,9% p=0,052) and isolated LLF involvement (27,3% vs 3,6%; p= 0,019) than TB only participants. Both TBDM and TBDM participants with HIV (TBDMHIV) had higher proportions of isolated LLF lesions as compared to TB only participants (14,3% vs 3,6%; p=0,093 and 15,2% vs 3,6%; p = 0,039, respectively). As CD4 counts increased, there was an upward trend towards an increase in the proportion of cavitations for TBDMHIV participants, but this was not evident in participants with TB and HIV (TBHIV). This study confirms the atypical nature of chest radiograph in persons with TBDM, TBHIV and TBDMHIV, with diabetes driving the presence of lower lung field involvement. These findings can be used in bi-directional screening algorithms for patients with diabetes, with or without HIV and highlights the important role of radiographic examination in pulmonary tuberculosis.
Open Access
Genetic polymorphisms and organophosphate neurotoxicity amongst emerging farmers in the Western Cape
(2016) Glass, Tracy; Dalvie, Mohamed Aqiel; Holtman, Zelda; Ramesar, Raj
BACKGROUND: Long-term exposure to organophosphates (OPs) can cause chronic neurotoxic effects which may be modulated by genetic polymorphisms of xenobiotic metabolising enzymes (XMEs). No previous study investigated XME modulation of neurotoxicity outcomes. OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether XMEs polymorphisms modulate OP neurotoxicity among emerging farmers. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 301 emerging farmers was conducted in the rural Western Cape of South Africa. Neurotoxicity testing included the World Health Organisation Core Test Battery (digit span forward and backward) and vibration sensitivity testing. Questionnaire items included demographic data, potential confounders and work history of pesticide exposures. Blood samples were analysed for genetic polymorphisms of the following XMEs; glutathione S-transferases (GST), N-acetyltransferases (NAT) and Paraoxonase (PON1). RESULTS: Median age was 39 (30-48) and most had 9 years of education or less (65.5%). 54% of the participants were OP pesticide applicators. There was a low prevalence of the GST null genotype (GSTT-1% and GSTM-16%) and the GA and GG genotype for NAT (10%). Modulation of OP exposure and neurotoxic outcome relationships by NAT, PON1 at position 192 and GST was indicated in multivariate analysis. The strongest evidence of modification was by NAT on the relationship between pesticide poisoning and impaired vibration sense. Poisoned individuals with the GG genotype were more likely to suffer from impaired vibration sense compared to GA and AA genotypes. CONCLUSION: Genetic polymorphisms of NAT, PON1 (at position 192) and GSTM may modify the relationship between OP exposure and neurotoxicity. Larger longitudinal studies are required to determine whether preventive strategies can be developed to improve health amongst the identified vulnerable groups.
Open Access
Growth patterns of infants with in- utero HIV and ARV exposure in Cape Town, South Africa and Lusaka, Zambia
(2022-01-10) Nyemba, Dorothy C.; Kalk, Emma; Vinikoor, Michael J; Madlala, Hlengiwe P; Mubiana-Mbewe, Mwangelwa; Mzumara, Maureen; Moore, Carolyn B; Slogrove, Amy L; Boulle, Andrew; Davies, Mary-Ann; Myer, Landon; Powis, Kathleen
Background Infants born HIV-exposed yet remain uninfected (HEU) are at increased risk of poorer growth and health compared to infants born HIV-unexposed (HU). Whether maternal antiretroviral treatment (ART) in pregnancy ameliorates this risk of poorer growth is not well understood. Furthermore, whether risks are similar across high burden HIV settings has not been extensively explored. Methods We harmonized data from two prospective observational studies conducted in Cape Town, South Africa, and Lusaka, Zambia, to compare weight-for-age (WAZ), length-for-age (LAZ) and weight-for-length (WLZ) Z-scores between infants who were HEU and HU, converting infant anthropometric measures using World Health Organisation Growth Standards adjusted for age and sex. Linear mixed effects models were fit to identify risk factors for differences in anthropometrics at 6–10 weeks and 6 months by infant HIV exposures status and by timing of exposure to maternal ART, either from conception or later in gestation. Results Overall 773 mother-infant pairs were included across two countries: women living with HIV (WLHIV), 51% (n = 395) with 65% on ART at conception and 35% initiating treatment in pregnancy. In linear mixed effects models, WAZ and WLZ at 6–10 weeks were lower among infants who were HEU vs HU [β = − 0.29 (95% CI: − 0.46, − 0.12) and [β = − 0.42 (95% CI: − 0.68, − 0.16)] respectively after adjusting for maternal characteristics and infant feeding with a random intercept for country. At 6 months, LAZ was lower [β = − 0.28 CI: − 0.50, − 0.06)] among infants who were HEU, adjusting for the same variables, with no differences in WAZ and WLZ. Within cohort evaluations identified different results with higher LAZ among infants who were HEU from Zambia at 6–10 weeks, [β = + 0.34 CI: + 0.01, + 0.68)] and lower LAZ among infants who were HEU from South Africa [β = − 0.30 CI: − 0.59, − 0.01)] at 6 months, without other anthropometric differences at either site. Conclusion Infant growth trajectories differed by country, highlighting the importance of studying contextual influences on outcomes of infants who were HEU.
Open Access
HIV and TB co-infection in the ART era: CD4 count distributions and TB case fatality in Cape Town
(BioMed Central, 2018-07-31) Kaplan, Richard; Hermans, Sabine; Caldwell, Judy; Jennings, Karen; Bekker, Linda-Gail; Wood, Robin
Background In Cape Town, the roll-out of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has increased over the last decade with an estimated coverage of 63% of HIV- positive patients in 2013. The influence of ART on the characteristics of the population of HIV-positive patients presenting to the primary care TB programme is unknown. In this study, we examined trends in CD4 count distribution, ART usage and treatment outcomes among HIV-positive TB patients in Cape Town from 2009 to 2013. Methods Data from the electronic TB register on all newly registered drug-sensitive TB patients ≥18 years were analyzed retrospectively. Descriptive statistics were used to compare baseline characteristics, the CD4 count distribution and TB treatment outcomes both by year of treatment and ART status at the start of TB treatment. Survival analyses were used to assess the change in mortality risk during TB treatment over time, stratified by ART status at start of TB treatment. Results 118,989 patients were treated over 5 years. HIV prevalence among TB patients decreased from 50.9% in 2009 to 49.0% in 2013. The absolute number of HIV-positive TB cases declined by 13.2% between 2010 and 2013. More patients entered the TB programme on ART in 2013 compared to 2009 (30.0% vs 9.9%). Among these, the CD4 count distribution showed a year by year shift to higher CD4 counts. In 2013, over 75% of ART-naïve TB patients still had a CD4 count < 350 cells/mm3. ART initiation among ART-naive patients increased from 37.0 to 77.7% and TB case fatality declined from 7.4 to 5.2% (p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis a decrease in TB mortality was most strongly associated with CD4 count (Adjusted HR 0.82 per increase of 50 cells/mm3, 95% CI: 0.81–0.83, p < 001) and the initiation of ART during TB treatment (Adjusted HR 0.39, 95% CI: 0.35–0.42, p < 0.001). Conclusion Comprehensive changes in the ART and TB treatment programmes resulted in incremental increases in ART coverage for HIV-positive TB patients and a subsequent decrease in TB case fatality due to increased ART uptake in HIV-positive ART-naïve patients. However TB still remained a major presenting opportunistic infection with the majority of cases occurring at low CD4 counts.
Open Access
HIV viral load monitoring in HIV-infected pregnant women established on antiretroviral therapy in Cape Town, South Africa
(2016) Tsondai, Priscilla Ruvimbo; Myer, Landon
Background: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) services have expanded over the past decade, providing treatment to over 15 million people globally. It is imperative that this scale-up of ART provision be accompanied by optimal treatment response monitoring strategies to timely and accurately detect treatment failure. Routine viral load (VL) monitoring is the preferred ART response monitoring tool and its use has been increasing across Africa; however, there are few insights into VL monitoring practices during pregnancy. This thesis describes public sector VL testing practices in a cohort of HIV-infected pregnant women who initiated ART before pregnancy in Cape Town, South Africa. Methods: This study was conceived in 2015 as a sub-analysis of the first phase of an on-going prospective trial: the Strategies to optimize antiretroviral therapy services for maternal and child health (MCH-ART) Study, being conducted in Gugulethu, Cape Town, South Africa. Consecutive HIV-infected pregnant women on ART before pregnancy and making their first visit to a primary care antenatal clinic between March 2013 and June 2014 were enrolled into the study. Pre-existing demographic, obstetric and ART history data collected during enrolment into the MCH-ART study were used. In addition, HIV VL results were obtained from the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) system from 15 months prior to the estimated date of conception to delivery. VL testing and VL results were described for the two periods: (i) before conception (from estimated date of conception to 15 months prior) and (ii) during pregnancy (from estimated date of conception to delivery). Results: Among 520 women the median age was 31 years [Interquartile range (IQR), 28-35 years] and the median duration of ART use was 2.7 years [IQR, 1.5-5.1 years]. Before conception, 66% (n=311) of women had at least one VL test done in routine adult ART services, and 9% of these results (n=29) were >1000 copies/mL. During the pregnancy, 80% (n=415) of women had at least one VL test done and 12% (n=49) of these results were >1000 copies/mL. Pregnant women with elevated VL >1000 copies/mL were more likely to have been on ART for longer (p=0.049), report at least 2 missed ART doses in the preceding 30 days (p=0.043) and be on a protease inhibitorbased regimen (p=0.016). Among women with VL >1000 copies/mL during pregnancy, 59% (n=29) had a repeat VL done at a median of 3.5 months after the initial test (IQR, 2.1-4.4 months) with 52% (n=15) of these women having a VL >1000 copies/mL on this second test. Conclusion: While coverage of VL monitoring appears high in this setting, a substantial fraction of women with elevated VL in pregnancy were never retested. With increasing numbers of HIV positive women using ART, greater attention is needed to design and implement effective strategies for VL monitoring in pregnancy.
Open Access
Hypertension in Cape Town clothing industry clinics: Does treatment match risk?
(2001) Sephton_E_A; Bachmann, Max
Background: The management of hypertension according to the patient' s absolute risk of cardiovascular disease. rather than their blood pressure in isolation from other risk factors, is now widely advocated because it targets treatment at those with most to gain. In South Africa blood pressure is traditionally managed according to the patient's level of blood pressure. Main Objective: To identify the proportion of traditionally treated hypertensive patients who may benefit from cessation or intensification of treatment as judged by a risk-based approach to their management. Design: A cross sectional descriptive survey of patients and their medical records with assessment of absolute risk of cardiovascular disease using Framingham risk equations. Setting: Eight Clothing Industry Health Benefit Fund clinics in Cape Town, South Africa. Participants: 382 women and men, predominantly coloured, attending for the treatment of hypertension Main outcome measure: The proportions of patients in whom the predicted risk of a cardiovascular event within 5 years is less than 10% and those in whom the risk within five years is greater than 20%. Results: 65% of participants (CI 60 - 70%) were at less than 10% risk of a cardiovascular event in the next 5 years and 19% (Cl 15-23%) were at more than 20% risk of a cardiovascular event despite current treatment. 5% (CI 3.2-7.9%) were at greater than 20% risk of a cardiovascular event in the next 5 years having no previous history of a cardiovascular event. 14% (CI 10-17%) were at greater than 20% risk of a cardiovascular event in the next 5 years because of a previous history of a cardiovascular event. 1.3% (CI 0.4-3%) were at less than 10% risk of a cardiovascular event within the next 5 years, despite having a systolic blood pressure over 170mmHg. Conclusion: Assessment of the cardiovascular risk of patients treated for hypertension identifies those patients at most and least risk. Resources could therefore be targeted at those with the most to gain from treatment and the unwanted side effects of antihypertensive medication avoided in those at low risk. Almost two thirds of patients currently being treated for hypertension were at less than 10% risk of developing a cardiovascular event within the next 5 years. A trial of medication reduction or cessation in this group is justified and the resources could be redirected at those 5% whose risk remains very high despite current levels of treatment.
Open Access
Is the Western Cape at risk of an outbreak of preventable childhood diseases? Lessons from an evaluation of routine immunisation coverage
(2008) Corrigall, Joanne; Coetzee, David; Cameron, Neil
OBJECTIVE: To determine the routine immunisation coverage rates in children aged 12 - 23 months in the Western Cape. DESIGN: Cross-sectional Household Survey using an adaptation of the '30 by 7' cluster survey technique. SETTING: Households across the Western Cape. SUBJECTS: A total of 3 705 caregivers of children aged 12 - 23 months who had been living in the Western Cape for at least 6 months. OUTCOME MEASURES: Vaccination status (1 = fully vaccinated; 0 = partially vaccinated) as recorded on a Road-to-Health card or by history. Reasons for not vaccinating were established from a questionnaire. RESULTS: The immunisation coverage was 76.8% for vaccines due by 9 months and 53.2% for those due by 18 months. The reasons given for not being immunised were clinic-related factors (47%), lack of information (27%), caregiver being unable to attend the clinic (23%), and lack of motivation (14%). Of the clinic factors cited, the two commonest ones were missed opportunities (34%) and being told by clinic staff to return another time (20%). CONCLUSION: While the coverage indicates that a great deal of good work is being done, the coverage is insufficient to prevent outbreaks of measles and other common childhood conditions, including polio. The coverage is too low to consider not running periodic mass campaigns for measles and polio. It will need to be sustainably improved before introducing rubella vaccine as part of the Expanded Programme on Immunisations (EPI) schedule. The reasons given by caregivers for their children not being immunised are valuable pointers as to where interventions should be focused.
Open Access
Knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance among private sector patients and prescribers in South Africa
(2017) Farley, Elise; Boyles, Tom H; Stewart, Annemie; Davies, Mary-Ann
Antibiotic resistance (ABR), alternately referred to as antimicrobial resistance, has been labelled as the next big global health crisis. If current levels of ABR continue along the same trajectories, by 2050 ABR will cost the lives of 10 million people a year, ABR cannot be stopped but it can be slowed down. ABR occurs because the bacteria evolve to protect themselves from antibiotics. One of the main causes of ABR is the misuse and over prescription of antibiotics. The primary objective of the study is to ascertain the level of knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of appropriate antibiotic use and ABR, among prescribers and patients in private health care in South Africa. The secondary objective of the study is to explore associations between knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of prescribers and patients regarding antibiotic use and resistance. This project consists of three main sections, a proposal, literature review and a journal ready article. All sections focus on ABR. The proposal lays a foundation for the need for the research, and explains how the research will be conducted. The literature review explores the existing evidence on the topic, and the final section is a secondary analysis of cross sectional study data, in which private practice patients and prescribers in South Africa completed a once-off anonymous survey. Data was analysed using Stata,T-tests, chi-squared tests and logistic regression models were used to assess associations between knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of both patients and prescribers. We found that mean knowledge scores among patients (n=403, mean 9 out of 14, standard deviation [SD] 3) and providers (n=175, median 5 maximum 7, IQR 4, 6), were suboptimal and that poor knowledge was associated with perceptions and behaviours as well as prescribing practices that could lead to ABR. Associations between knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of patients and prescribers were explored in multivariate logistic regression models. After adjusting for education and sex, a 1-unit increase in patient knowledge score was associated with the belief that antibiotics will work less well in future if we over-use them now (aOR 1.3; 95% CI: 1.18, 1.43; pvalue <0.001). Prescribers with higher knowledge scores were less likely to report that they prescribe antibiotics when not necessary as antibiotics cannot harm the patient (aOR 0.55; 95% CI: 0.33, 0.91; pvalue 0.02). We also identified a large proportion (58%) of patients who were interested in alternatives to antibiotics and a large proportion (91%) of prescribers wanting educational material to facilitate conversations about resistance with patients. Our study demonstrates gaps in patient and prescriber knowledge that are associated with potentially harmful perceptions and destructive behaviours regarding antibiotic use. These associations, together with our finding that patients and prescribers would like more education on ABR, suggest that educational tools and patient-provider communication tools could promote rational antibiotic use.
Open Access
Lamivudine Monotherapy as a holding regimen for HIV-positive children
(PLoS One, 2018-10-11) Patten, Gabriela; Bernheimer, Jonathan; Lee, Fairlie; Helena, Rabie; Shobna, Sawry; Karl, Technau; Brian, Eley; Mary-Ann, Davies
Background In resource-limited settings holding regimens, such as lamivudine monotherapy (LM), are used to manage HIV-positive children failing combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) to mitigate the risk of drug resistance developing, whilst adherence barriers are addressed or when access to second- or third-line regimens is restricted. We aimed to investigate characteristics of children placed on LM and their outcomes. Methods We describe the characteristics of children (age <16 years at cART start) from 5 IeDEA-SA cohorts with a record of LM during their treatment history. Among those on LM for >90 days we describe their immunologic outcomes on LM and their immunologic and virologic outcomes after resuming cART. Findings We included 228 children in our study. At LM start their median age was 12.0 years (IQR 7.3–14.6), duration on cART was 3.6 years (IQR 2.0–5.9) and median CD4 count was 605.5 cells/μL (IQR 427–901). Whilst 110 (48%) had no prior protease inhibitor (PI)-exposure, of the 69 with recorded PI-exposure, 9 (13%) patients had documented resistance to all PIs. After 6 months on LM, 70% (94/135) experienced a drop in CD4, with a predicted average CD4 decline of 46.5 cells/μL (95% CI 37.7–55.4). Whilst on LM, 46% experienced a drop in CD4 to <500 cells/μL, 18 (8%) experienced WHO stage 3 or 4 events, and 3 children died. On resumption of cART the average gain in CD4 was 15.65 cells/uL per month and 66.6% (95% CI 59.3–73.7) achieved viral suppression (viral load <1000) at 6 months after resuming cART. Interpretation Most patients experienced immune decline on LM. Its use should be avoided in those with low CD4 counts, but restricted use may be necessary when treatment options are limited. Managing children with virologic failure will continue to be challenging until more treatment options and better adherence strategies are available.
Metadata only
MAMI: An R-package for model selection and model averaging after multiple imputation
(2015-09-07) Schomaker, Michael
The package performs model selection/averaging on multiply imputed datasets and combines the resulting estimates. The package also provides access to less frequently used model averaging techniques and offers integrated bootstrap estimation.
Open Access
Optimised electronic patient records to improve clinical monitoring of HIV-positive patients in rural South Africa (MONART trial): study protocol for a cluster-randomised trial
(2021-12-20) Iwuji, Collins; Osler, Meg; Mazibuko, Lusanda; Hounsome, Natalia; Ngwenya, Nothando; Chimukuche, Rujeko S; Khoza, Thandeka; Gareta, Dickman; Sunpath, Henry; Boulle, Andrew; Herbst, Kobus
Background There is poor viral load monitoring (VLM) and inadequate management of virological failure in HIV-positive individuals on antiretroviral therapy in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This could be contributing to increasing HIV drug resistance in the setting. This study aims to investigate the clinical and process impediments in VLM within the health system and to evaluate a quality improvement package (QIP) to address the identified gaps. The QIP comprises (i) a designated viral load champion responsible for administrative management and triaging of viral load results (ii) technological enhancement of the routine clinic-based Three Interlinked Electronic Register (TIER.Net) to facilitate daily automatic import of viral load results from the National Health Service Laboratory to TIER.Net (iii) development of a dashboard system to support VLM. Methods/design The study will evaluate the effectiveness of the QIP compared to current care for improving VLM and virological suppression using an effectiveness implementation hybrid type 3 design. This will use a cluster-randomised design with the primary healthcare clinics as the unit of randomisation with ten clinics randomised in a 1:1 ratio to either the intervention or control arm. We will enrol 150 HIV-positive individuals who had been on ART for ≥ 12 months from each of the ten clinics (750 in 5 intervention clinics vs. 750 in 5 control clinics) and follow them up for a period of 12 months. The primary outcome is the proportion of all patients who have a viral load (VL) measurement and are virally suppressed (composite outcome) after 12 months of follow up. Secondary outcomes during follow up include proportion of all patients with at least one documented VL in TIER.Net, proportion with VL ≥ 50 copies/mL, proportion with VL ≥ 1000 copies/mL (virological failure) and subsequent switch to second-line ART. Discussion We aim to provide evidence that a staff-centred quality improvement package, designated viral load monitoring champion, and augmentation of TIER.Net with a dashboard system will improve viral load monitoring and lead to improved virological suppression. Trial registration: This trial is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov on 8 Oct 2021. Identifier: NCT05071573; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05071573?term=NCT05071573&draw=2&rank=1
Open Access
Predictors of good outcome in upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB)
(2000) Kalula, Sebastiana Zimba; Louw, J A; Swingler, George H
Background and literature review: Introduction: Acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding is a common cause of emergency hospital admission. It is also not uncommon in patients already in hospital. The bulk of severe morbidity and mortality occurs in patients with recurrent bleeding or significant comorbid illness. The use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), which is more common in the elderly, more than doubles the mortality associated with peptic ulcer complications. Endoscopy and endotherapy have improved outcome in patients with continued or recurrent bleeding. Clinical Predictors of Outcome: Despite improved technology in the management of upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB), mortality has remained high. This has been attributed to the increase in the population of elderly people who tend to have other underlying diseases leading to the high mortality rate. From international literature, mortality varies from 4-10%. Most of the reports reflect mortality around 8%. A local retrospective study by Van Stiegmann et. al. (1983) on patients with bleeding peptic ulcer had an overall mortality of 5.4 %, and mortality of 9.8% in those treated surgically. Ideally to avoid waste of resources and time, emergency endoscopy should primarily be considered in relatively few patients at risk of further haemorrhage. In this class of patients, endoscopy is used not only for diagnosis but also for endoscopic treatment to control massive ulcer bleeding. This approach is worthy of consideration in a "resource poor" environment. Most previous studies have employed endoscopic criteria for identifying patients at high risk of poor outcome. These data are not available at the time of admission. This is therefore not helpful in the triage of patients prior to endoscopy. Groote Schuur Hospital (location for the current study) has experienced a significant staff cutback over the past 5 years. Few of our regional hospitals and none of our primary health care facilities have endoscopy facilities and endoscopic expertise is similarly limited. Given the pressures on the limited endoscopy services, there is a need for guidelines for the referral of patients to centres with these facilities. There is a possibility that the number of potential referrals of patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) will increase as the primary health care services improve, a rational review of criteria for referral appeared timely. There would be need to triage patients into: i). those who must have endoscopy urgently and ii). those who could be safely referred for elective endoscopy. Most previous studies have looked at predictors of adverse outcome. To our knowledge no study has been done in South Africa to determine clinical predictors of good outcome prior to endoscopy, that would help determine patients who would recover uneventfully without urgent endoscopy. Study Rationale: Given the scarcity of both endoscopy resources and of information for the triage of patients who would recover uneventfully following UGIB without urgent endoscopy in our setting, this study set out to answer the question: Is it possible to identify clinical criteria that will predict patients with UGIB in whom endoscopy could be safely deferred? OBJECTIVES: 1. To identify clinical criteria that predict uneventful recovery. 2. To determine the accuracy of individual symptoms and signs or combinations. of symptoms or signs at the time of presentation in predicting uneventful recovery. Study population and Methods: Study design and study setting: The design was a prospective, descriptive, cross sectional study with an analytical component. The study was conducted at Groote Schuur Hospital (GSH), which is a tertiary referral teaching hospital with 14 70 beds. It is affiliated to the University of Cape Town.
Open Access
The prevalence of hearing loss in HIV-infected South African adolescents on antiretroviral therapy
(2017) Banga, Agatha Tafadzwa; Myer, Landon
Objective: To investigate hearing loss among perinatally HIV-infected (PHIV+) adolescents on antiretroviral therapy (ART), and HIV-non-infected (HIV-) adolescents in Cape Town, South Africa. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was carried out to describe the prevalence, nature and predictors (demographic, past medical history, clinical findings) of hearing loss in adolescents between 9 and 14 years of age. Screening pure-tone air-conduction (AC) thresholds above 30 decibels (dB) were considered to be indicative of debilitating hearing loss. Statistical analysis included univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression. Results: The cross-sectional analysis included data from 540 participants; consisting 273 males (51%), 267 females, 432 PHIV+ and 108 HIV-, with a median age of 12 years. Hearing impairment was observed in 19% of all the adolescents in the study. Multivariate analysis showed the following predictors for any hearing loss: an unmarried primary caregiver (odds ratio (OR) 0.59; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.39;0.91, p = 0.015), being female (OR 1.67; 95% CI, 1.12;2.51; p = 0.013) and reports of being troubled by ear pain or discharge in the last month (OR 2.54; 95% CI, 1.55;4.17; p = <0.001) after adjustment. Univariate analysis showed an association between hearing loss and a longer duration on ART among PHIV+ adolescents (OR 1.80, 95%CI 1.17;2.75, p = 0.007). Conclusion: The prevalence of hearing loss appears to be comparable between PHIV+ and HIVadolescents in Cape Town. In low resource settings, a history of ear pain or discharge within the last month may be used as a screening tool for a hearing assessment, and guide referral for formal hearing tests.
Open Access
Progress towards the UNAIDS 90–90-90 goals by age and gender in a rural area of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: a household-based community cross-sectional survey
(BioMed Central, 2018-03-02) Huerga, Helena; Van Cutsem, Gilles; Ben Farhat, Jihane; Puren, Adrian; Bouhenia, Malika; Wiesner, Lubbe; Dlamini, Linda; Maman, David; Ellman, Tom; Etard, Jean-François
Abstract Background The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has developed an ambitious strategy to end the AIDS epidemic. After eight years of antiretroviral therapy (ART) program we assessed progress towards the UNAIDS 90–90-90 targets in Mbongolwane and Eshowe, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional household-based community survey using a two-stage stratified cluster probability sampling strategy. Persons aged 15–59 years were eligible. We used face-to-face interviewer-administered questionnaires to collect information on history of HIV testing and care. Rapid HIV testing was performed on site and venous blood specimens collected from HIV-positive participants for antiretroviral drug presence test, CD4 count and viral load. At the time of the survey the CD4 threshold for ART initiation was 350 cells/μL. We calculated progression towards the 90–90-90 UNAIDS targets by estimating three proportions: HIV positive individuals who knew their status (first 90), those diagnosed who were on ART (second 90), and those on ART who were virally suppressed (third 90). Results We included 5649/6688 (84.5%) individuals. Median age was 26 years (IQR: 19–40), 62.3% were women. HIV prevalence was 25.2% (95% CI: 23.6–26.9): 30.9% (95% CI: 29.0–32.9) in women; 15.9% (95% CI: 14.0–18.0) in men. Overall progress towards the 90–90-90 targets was as follows: 76.4% (95% CI: 74.1–78.6) knew their status, 69.9% (95% CI: 67.0–72.7) of those who knew their status were on ART and 93.1% (95% CI: 91.0–94.8) of those on ART were virally suppressed. By sex, progress towards the 90–90-90 targets was: 79%–71%–93% among women; and 68%–68%–92% among men (p-values of women and men comparisons were < 0.001, 0.443 and 0.584 respectively). By age, progress was: 83%–75%–95% among individuals aged 30–59 years and 64%–58%–89% among those aged 15–29 years (p-values of age groups comparisons were < 0.001, < 0.001 and 0.011 respectively). Conclusions In this context of high HIV prevalence, significant progress has been achieved with regards to reaching the UNAIDS 90–90-90 targets. The third 90, viral suppression in people on ART, was achieved among women and men. However, gaps persist in HIV diagnosis and ART coverage particularly in men and individuals younger than 30 years. Achieving 90–90-90 is feasible but requires additional investment to reach youth and men.