Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Jun 26;9(7):141.
doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed9070141.

Consistency of Multi-Month Antiretroviral Therapy Dispensing and Association with Viral Load Coverage among Pediatric Clients Living with HIV in Mozambique

Ivete Meque  1 , Nicole Herrera  2 , Michelle M Gill  2 , Rui Guilaze  1 , Amancio Nhangave  3 , Jaciara Mussá  4 , Nilesh Bhatt  2 , Mahoudo Bonou  1 , Lauren Greenberg  2
Affiliations

Consistency of Multi-Month Antiretroviral Therapy Dispensing and Association with Viral Load Coverage among Pediatric Clients Living with HIV in Mozambique

Ivete Meque et al. Trop Med Infect Dis. .

Abstract

With the increase in uptake of multi-month antiretroviral therapy dispensing (MMD) for children, little is known about consistency of MMD receipt over time and its association with virological outcomes. This analysis aims to assess the uptake of 3-month MMD among children, consistent receipt of MMD after uptake, and clinical outcomes following transition to MMD in 16 health facilities in Gaza and Inhambane Provinces. This is a secondary analysis involving children <15 years living with HIV with clinical visits during the period from September 2019 to August 2020. Of 4383 children, 82% ever received MMD (at least one pickup of a 3-month MMD supply) during the study period but only 40% received it consistently (defined as MMD at every visit during the study period). Consistent MMD was most common among older children and children without indications of clinical instability. Overall viral load (VL) coverage was 40% (733/1851). Consistent MMD was significantly associated with lower odds of having a VL (0.78, 95% CI: 0.64-0.95). In conclusion, while receipt of a multi-month supply was common particularly during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, only a minority of children received consistent MMD; however, there is a need to ensure children with fewer visits still receive timely VL monitoring.

Keywords: ART; HIV; Mozambique; multi-month dispensing; pediatric; viral load coverage.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Timing of first receipt of MMD among children 0–14 years.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Consistency of MMD receipt after first MMD among children 0–14 years.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Mozambique MoH . Relatório Anual 2022: Relatório das Actividades Relacionadas ao HIV/SIDA. Mozambique MoH; Maputo, Mozambique: 2022.
    1. World Health Organization . Consolidated Guidelines on the Use of Antiretroviral Drugs for Treating and Preventing HIV Infection: Recommendations for a Public Health Approach. 2nd ed. World Health Organization; Geneva, Switzerland: 2016. [(accessed on 8 December 2023)]. Available online: https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/208825/9789241549684_eng.pdf. - PubMed
    1. UN News. [(accessed on 8 December 2023)]. Available online: https://news.un.org/en/story/2016/05/530832.
    1. UNAIDS. [(accessed on 8 December 2023)]. Available online: https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/fact-sheet.
    1. UNICEF HIV Estimates for Children Dashboard. [(accessed on 4 January 2024)]. Available online: https://data.unicef.org/resources/hiv-estimates-for-children-dashboard/

LinkOut - more resources