Global Perspectives on Treat All for Children and Adolescents with HIV PATA Global Summit Shaffiq Essajee
New HIV infections are declining among children! 47% decline 56% decline 33% decline Courtesy of Mary Mahy, UNAIDS
And as children age out into adulthood the total number of children with HIV is also declining Source: UNAIDS 2017
And the epidemic is shifting in terms of age fewer young children, more adolescents living with HIV 2.1 million children living with HIV in 2016 If you are seeing these changes in your own clinics and programmes CONGRATULATIONS! This means your PMTCT efforts are working and your clients are growing up on ART Source: UNAIDS, 2017
But paediatric treatment coverage is still too low In 2016, 920,000 children on ART (43%) vs 15 million adults on ART (54%) Source: UNAIDS, 2017
And the problem is with the youngest and the oldest children ART coverage by age group (Among countries that submitted age specific data) Source: UNAIDS, 2017
So, what are the concrete steps that we can take?
1 Implement Treat All policies for children There should be ZERO pre-art kids in your clinic registers if there are, TREAT them! If there any who have been lost to follow up, tracking, finding and bringing them back to care should be a priority
2 Improve Linkage to ART Gaps Low linkages- Incomplete referral systems Intervention: Placement of focal person/peer at testing points to facilitate escort to CTC OVC case managers escort newly identified CLHIV from the community to CTC Same day initiation of HIV care 2000 1800 1600 1400 1200 1000 800 LINKAGE INCREASED FROM 71% -> 97-99% 600 400 200 0 HTC_POS TX_NEW LINKAGE 71% 99% 97% APR _20 14(BASELINE) APR _2015(YR1) APR _2016(YR2) HTC_POS 1100 1254 1885 TX_NEW 786 1239 1830 LINKAGE 71% 99% 97% 120% 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% Source: ACT Initiative in Tanzania
3 Don t delay ART start! Slide: Courtesy of Elizabeth Obimbo
4 Consider Same-day ART for children/adolescents ENABLERS Health providers (inc peers) with good counseling skills Uninterrupted supply of ARV commodities at sites Simplified initiation processes Mother or caregiver already receiving ART Physically escorting clients from test site to ART clinic Decentralization of pediatric HIV care and treatment to the lowest level health facilities BARRIERS Heavy workload for health workers Co-infections that require staggering treatment Poor counselling skills ARV drug stock outs Unaccompanied minors
5 Promote nurse-initiated ART for children In Tanzania in 2013, Peds coverage was just 26.5% coverage Severe physician shortage (0.03 per 1,000 population) Nurse initiated management of ART (NIMART) proposed to address this Policy adoption à SOP à inservice training à nurse service delivery model permitting testing, ART, and dispensing 20000 18000 16000 14000 By the end of 2016, peds coverage 12000 increased to 52.2% 9314 10000 8000 6000 4000 2000 0 4322 1786 5363 4174 2291 17810 Dispensary Health Center Hospital Total TX_NEW TX_NEW by Nurses 9440 Source: ACT initiative, Tanzania
6 Integrate TB and HIV diagnosis to identify CLHIV Source: Hesseling et al. 2009
6 Integrate TB and HIV diagnosis to identify CLHIV Integrating HTS into TB clinics Training of TB sector HCW on PICT Allocation of Peer educator to escort HIV+ children Provision of incentives for Peer educators Development of linkage tool to capture ART initiation TB patients registered during the reporting period TB patients who had an HIV test result recorded in the TB register TB patients who had an HIV test result recorded in the TB register(positive results) HIV Positive TB (co-infected) patients who start ART 137 67% 27% 56% 139 88% 29% 86% 277 92% 23% 86% 282 93% 23% 84% Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 QUARTERLY 1 QUARTERLY 2 QUARTERLY 3 QUARTERLY 4 Source: ACT initiative, Mozambique
What is retention like in children? Retention of HIV-Infected Children in the First 12 months of ART Source: Abuogi LL PLOS One 2016
And what about rates of VL suppression? VL >1000 copies/ml VL undetectable Source: CDC - ACT Initiative
What drives low retention in children? Parent/caregiver interpretation of health status of child Advanced Disease Mental health problems Age (<2yo) Understaffing at clinics Inadequate clinical/lab services Proximity to clinic Loss of caregiver Long clinic wait times Malnutrition Stigma Lack of Disclosure Source: B. Phelps AIDS 2013 Economic Barriers
7 Family based approaches to improve retention Family Based Care Approach All family members are seen at the same time at HIV clinic and receive all package of services needed for the health of the family including counselling and testing for HIV. HIV+ family members have their clinical apointment on the same day with the same doctor. AVRs pick-up and Lab specimen collection are also done at the same day and time for all family members. Counsellor provides morning lectures and identifies potential families for this service Pediatric retention Adult retention Source: ACT initiative, Mozambique
8 Community interventions to address challenges Gap: Low retention Interventions: Children clubs established Peer counsellors identified and linked to supported health facilities. Lay counsellors tracked clients in the community 5,000 4,500 4,000 3,500 3,000 2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000 500 - RETENTION TREND 2015 VS 2016 AMONG CHILDREN <15 YEARS 87% 4,473 3,837 3,898 2,975 78% Crude Curr retention TX 2015 crude retention 2016 88% 86% 84% 82% 80% 78% 76% Curr TX (prev.yr)+ New_TX(Curr.yr) % Retention Source: ACT initiative, Tanzania
8 Community interventions to address challenges Loss to follow-up Mortality Cohort study Community-based support Adolescents and youth on ART in South Africa 6,706 clients at 47 facilities.5.4.3.2.1 0 P<0.0001 ahr: 0.60 (95% CI: 0.51-0.71); p<0.0001 without CBS with CBS 0 1 2 3 4 5 Years after starting ART Cumulative incidence of mortality.5.4.3.2.1 0 P=0.027 ahr: 0.52 (95% CI: 0.37-0.73); P<0.0001 without CBS with CBS 0 1 2 3 4 5 Years after starting ART Source: Kheth Impilo - Fatti G et al. IAS 2017
8 Community interventions to address challenges Comprehensive toolkit built on pilot experience Step by step guide how to implement C3 (Clinic-CBO Collaborations) Aim to optimise local collaborations between CBOs and local clinic partners Launch November 2017 AIDS Impact & December 2017 ICASA
Resources UNICEF s learning collaborative http://www.childrenandaids.org/ The PEPFAR ACT Initiative report http://www.pedaids.org/page/- /uploads/resources/act_report_04_2017_final-digital.pdf
Acknowledgements George Siberry Nandita Sugandh Jessica Rodrigues Nande Putta Chewe Luo Dominic Kemps