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Review
. 2024 May 28;13(6):459.
doi: 10.3390/pathogens13060459.

Forty Years of HIV Research in French Guiana: Comprehend to Combat

Mathieu Nacher  1   2   3   4 , Aude Lucarelli  1 , Astrid Van-Melle  2 , Célia Basurko  2 , Sébastien Rabier  1 , Malorie Chroum  1 , Thiago Santana  1 , Karine Verin  1 , Ketty Bienvenu  1 , Myriam El Guedj  5 , Tania Vaz  5 , Hawa Cisse  5 , Loïc Epelboin  6 , Paul Le Turnier  6 , Philippe Abboud  6 , Félix Djossou  6 , Roger Pradinaud  7 , Antoine Adenis  1   2   3   4 , Pierre Couppié  3   4   7
Affiliations
Review

Forty Years of HIV Research in French Guiana: Comprehend to Combat

Mathieu Nacher et al. Pathogens. .

Abstract

The drivers of the HIV epidemic, the viruses, the opportunistic infections, the attitudes and the resources allocated to the fight against HIV/AIDS, vary substantially across countries. French Guiana, at the crossroads between Amazonian South America and the Caribbean, constitutes a singular context with poor populations and rich country health funding, which has allowed researchers to gather lots of information on the particulars of our epidemic. We aimed to focus on the little known story of forty years of HIV research in French Guiana and emphasize how local research intertwined with public health action has yielded continuous progress, despite the difficult social conditions of the affected population. We searched Web of Science and associated local experts who worked through much of the epidemic in selecting the most meaningful products of local research for clinical and public health outcomes in French Guiana. Research tools and facilities included, from 1991 onwards, the HIV hospital cohort and the HIV-histoplasmosis cohort. Ad hoc studies funded by the ANRS or the European Regional Development fund shed light on vulnerable groups. The cumulative impact of prospective routine collection and focused efforts has yielded a breadth of knowledge, allowing for informed decisions and the adaptation of prevention, testing and care in French Guiana. After this overview, we emphasize that the close integration of research and public health was crucial in adapting interventions to the singular context of French Guiana.

Keywords: AIDS; French Guiana; HIV; epidemiology; historical review; public health; research.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Scheme 1
Scheme 1
French Guiana and the health structures where initial HIV care can be delivered.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Annual number of new patients with HIV in French Guiana.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Flowchart of the Web of Science search.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Web of Science classification of research on HIV or AIDS in French Guiana.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Web of Science type of research documents on HIV/AIDS in French Guiana.
Figure 5
Figure 5
ECDC modelling tool estimates of diagnosed and undiagnosed persons living with HIV in French Guiana.
Figure 6
Figure 6
ECDC modelling tool estimates of the evolution of the proportion of undiagnosed persons living with HIV in French Guiana.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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