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Abstract Background Ambitious UN goals to reduce the mother-to-child transmission of HIV have not been met in much of Sub-Saharan Africa. This paper focuses on the quality of information provision and counseling and disclosure patterns in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Malawi and Uganda to identify how services can be improved to enable better PMTCT outcomes. Methods Our mixed-methods study draws on data obtained through: (1) the MATCH (Multi-country African Testing and Counseling for HIV) study's main survey, conducted in 2008-09 among clients (N = 408) and providers at health facilities offering HIV Testing and Counseling (HTC) services; 2) semi-structured interviews with a sub-set of 63 HIV-positive women on their experiences of stigma, disclosure, post-test counseling and access to follow-up psycho-social support; (3) in-depth interviews with key informants and PMTCT healthcare workers; and (4) document study of national PMTCT policies and guidelines. We quantitatively examined differences in the quality of counseling by country and by HIV status using Fisher's exact tests. Results The majority of pregnant women attending antenatal care (80-90%) report that they were explained the meaning of the tests, explained how HIV can be transmitted, given advice on prevention, encouraged to refer their partners for testing, and given time to ask questions. Our qualitative findings reveal that some women found testing regimes to be coercive, while disclosure remains highly problematic. 79% of HIV-positive pregnant women reported that they generally keep their status secret; only 37% had disclosed to their husband. Conclusion To achieve better PMTCT outcomes, the strategy of testing women in antenatal care (perceived as an exclusively female domain) when they are already pregnant needs to be rethought. When scaling up HIV testing programs, it is particularly important that issues of partner disclosure are taken seriously.

1 | INTRODUCTION Between 2000 and 2015, the number of people living with HIV (PLHIV) who access antiretroviral therapy (ART) saw a thirty-fold global increase: from 250,000 to more than [...], Introduction: Retention on antiretroviral therapy (ART) is critical for the successful adoption of the test and treat policy by sub-Saharan African countries, and for realizing the United Nations programme on HIV and AIDS target of 90-90-90. This qualitative study explores HIV positive clients' reasons for discontinuing ART under the MaxART test and treat implementation study in Swaziland. Methods: Clients identified as lost to follow-up (LTFU) in the programme database, who had initiated ART under the intervention arm of the MaxART study, were purposively selected from two facilities. LTFU was defined as stopping ART refill for three months or longer from the date of last appointment, and not being classified as transferred out or deceased. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with nine clients and one treatment supporter between July and August 2017. All interviews were conducted in the local language, audio-recorded, summarized or transcribed and translated to English for thematic analysis. Results: Respondents described mobility as the first step in a chain of events that affected retention in care. It was entwined with precarious employment, care delivery, interactions with health workers, lack of social support, anticipated stigma and ART-related side-effects, including the exacerbation of hunger. The chains of events involved several intersecting reasons that occurred one after the other as a series of contiguous and linked events that led to clients' eventual discontinuation of ART. The individual accounts of step-by-step decision-making revealed the influence of multi-layered contexts and the importance of critical life-events. Conclusions: Clients' reasons for abandoning ART are a complex, inextricably interwoven chain of events rather than a single occurrence. Mobility is often the first step in the process and commonly results from precarious economic and social circumstances. Currently the health system poorly caters to the reality of people's mobile lives. Interventions should seek to increase healthcare workers' understanding of the chain of events leading up to discontinuation on ART and the social dilemmas that clients face. Keywords: ARV; Retention; Linkage to care; Intervention; Swaziland; Test and Treat

Background: The 2013–2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak highlighted the importance of laboratory capacity to outbreak response while also revealing its long-standing neglect. The outbreak prompted massive international investment into strengthening laboratory services across multiple healthcare settings. Objective: In this article, we explore hospital-based clinical laboratory workers' experiences and perceptions of their everyday working environment in Sierra Leone, and how recent investments in laboratory strengthening have shaped these. Methods: This qualitative study draws on in-depth interviews with eight laboratory workers and participant observation of laboratory practices at a tertiary referral hospital in Freetown between April 2019 and December 2019. Interview and observational data were coded and analysed using a reflexive thematic approach. Results: The Ebola outbreak prompted international investments in automated devices, biosafety training, and a new dedicated infectious diseases laboratory. However, little investment was made in the infrastructure and supply systems needed to sustain routine laboratory work or keep machines functioning. Laboratory workers perceived their work to be under-recognised and undervalued by the government, hospital managers and clinical staff, a perception compounded by under-use of the hospital's laboratory services by clinicians. Conclusion: Understanding laboratory technicians' views, experiences, and priorities is essential to any sustainable laboratory-strengthening effort. Investments in personnel should match investments in technologies and infrastructure for outbreak response. What this study adds: This study contributes to an understanding of how clinical laboratory personnel in Sierra Leone view and experience their work, and introduces the concept of social invisibility to explain these experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eswatini has a high HIV prevalence but has made progress towards improving HIV-status awareness, ART uptake and viral suppression. However, there is still a delay in ART initiation, which could partly be attributed to positive HIV-retesting. This study examines reasons for, and factors associated with, positive HIV-retesting among MaxART participants in Eswatini. Data from 601 participants is included in this cross-sectional study. Descriptive statistics and logistic regressions were used. Of the participants, 32.8% has ever retested after a previous positive result. Most participants who retested did this because they could not accept their results (61.9% of all retesters). Other main reasons are related to external influences, gender or the progression of their HIV infection (respectively 18.3%, 10.2%, and 6.1% of all retesters). Participants without a current partner and participants with less time since their first positive test have lower odds of retesting. To decrease retesting and reduce the delay in ART initiation resulting from it, efforts could be made on increasing the acceptance of positive HIV results. Providing more information on the process of testing and importance of early ART initiation, could be part of the solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on ethnographic research, I examine the evolution of HIV support groups and biosociality during the "treat-all era" in eSwatini. I show how support groups are shaped by local actors to cater to a need for social solidarity that transcends diagnostic status, and thereby move beyond donors' HIV-centric rationales to use the groups for HIV treatment scale-up. In this particular phase of the HIV epidemic, I suggest, support groups make up a particular kind of biosociality, which is shaped by shared experiences of structural vulnerability to chronic illness, and a desire to be prepared for future diseases and other misfortune. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2014-2016 Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak highlighted the vital importance of investing in West Africa's laboratory infrastructure and systems. The meeting featured short presentations as well as a panel discussion with Sierra Leonean laboratory scientists and health workers, who shared their first-hand experience using rapid diagnostic tests during the Ebola outbreak. Finally, as we look ahead towards building a sustainable healthcare laboratory system in Sierra Leone, we need to link the question of diagnostic use to that of diagnostic value, or 'what worth does a specific diagnostic test have for the particular health system? The value of a diagnostic test cannot be determined merely by the accuracy of the test or the global health priority of the pathogen but on the basis of local needs and consideration of the test's clinical and operational benefits. [Extracted from the article]

Introduction: There are concerns that immediate ART initiation (regardless of CD4 count) negatively affects HIV status disclosure, ART adherence and healthcare interactions. We assessed changes in these factors after the 'Early access to ART for all' intervention, a universal test-and-treat study in Swaziland.Methods: We recruited two samples of participants between 2014 and 2017. The first group was interviewed before the intervention (control); the second group at the implementation and 6 months thereafter (intervention).Results: High levels of disclosure to partners (controls and intervention: 94%) and family members (controls: 78%, intervention: 79%) were reported, and high levels of adherence (85% did not miss a dose among the controls, 84% in the intervention group). There were no changes in patients reporting feeling pressured to initiate ART (controls: 10%, intervention: 11%). The quality of interaction with healthcare workers improved after the intervention; healthcare workers explained more often the choice of ART initiation (controls: 88%, intervention: 93%) and the meaning of both CD4 and viral load test results (controls: 15%, intervention: 47%). More patients in the intervention group reported receiving test results (controls: 13%, intervention: 46%). We observed no changes in disclosure, adherence or patient experiences 6 months into the intervention compared to its start.Conclusion: Our results suggest that both reported adherence and disclosure levels remain high after the introduction of immediate ART in Swaziland. We observed an improvement in the healthcare interactions, possibly due to training at participating facilities, which will be an important element for a successful roll-out of immediate ART. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Universal test and treat (UTT)—antiretroviral therapy (ART) for all HIV-positive individuals regardless of CD4 count—is the WHO's recommended treatment guideline. UTT has implications for health providers' workload in areas of high HIV prevalence and for understandings of ART and HIV. This article explores health providers' experiences of implementing UTT in Hhohho Region, Eswatini. Methods Between March 2015 and October 2016, in-depth interviews were conducted with health providers implementing UTT. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and translated into English for qualitative content analysis. Results Twenty-five providers from eight facilities were interviewed. Respondents encouraged early ART by promoting its overall health benefits, and the possibility of avoiding disclosure and HIV-related stigma in the community. Some health providers downplayed UTT's preventive benefits to avoid discouraging condom use. Respondents suggested that initiating ART immediately after testing could improve linkage-to-care, but recognized that overly hasty initiation might affect adherence. Viral load testing was seen as a potentially useful tool to monitor clients' response to ART. Conclusions Health providers appropriated stigma to encourage early ART. This suggests an attentiveness to the social burden of HIV/AIDS, but potentially exacerbates discrimination and conflicts with efforts to reduce HIV-related stigma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Test and start, antiretroviral therapy (ART) for all HIV-positive individuals, is a WHO-recommended treatment guideline. In Swaziland, test and start has been evaluated through the MaxART implementation study. This article examines why, in MaxART, some newly diagnosed HIV-positive clients delayed initiating ART. Methods: Thirteen HIV-positive clients who delayed ART for =90 d after testing were identified from the MaxART study database and interviewed. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and translated into English for qualitative content analysis. Results: Respondents had often tested positive several times before initiating ART, with the initial diagnosis sometimes completely unexpected. Repeat testing--and delayed ART--was linked to a desire to come to terms with their diagnosis and prepare for a lifelong treatment course. Clients previously enrolled in pre-ART, particularly with high CD4 counts, had internalized past messages about ART as being non-essential and taking care of oneself through other means. Concerns about ART-related adverse events were weighed against these messages. Worries about inadvertent disclosure and its impact on social and economic relationships also discouraged initiation. Conclusion: Although potentially reducing logistical barriers, expedited ART initiation does not necessarily accommodate some clients' need for time to come to terms with the diagnosis and the prospect of lifelong treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent efforts to curtail the HIV epidemic in Africa have emphasised preventing sexual transmission to partners through antiretroviral therapy. A component of current strategies is disclosure to partners, thus understanding its motivations will help maximise results. This study examines the rates, dynamics and consequences of partner disclosure in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Malawi and Uganda, with special attention to the role of support groups and stigma in disclosure. Methods: The study employs mixed methods, including a cross-sectional client survey of counselling and testing services, focus groups, and in-depth interviews with HIV-positive individuals in stable partnerships in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Malawi and Uganda, recruited at healthcare facilities offering HIV testing. Results: Rates of disclosure to partners varied between countries (32.7% - 92.7%). The lowest rate was reported in Malawi. Reasons for disclosure included preventing the transmission of HIV, the need for care, and upholding the integrity of the relationship. Fear of stigma was an important reason for non-disclosure. Women reported experiencing more negative reactions when disclosing to partners. Disclosure was positively associated with living in urban areas, higher education levels, and being male, while being negatively associated with membership to support groups. Conclusions: Understanding of reasons for disclosure and recognition of the role of support groups in the process can help improve current prevention efforts, that increasingly focus on treatment as prevention as a way to halt new infections. Support groups can help spread secondary prevention messages, by explaining to their members that antiretroviral treatment has benefits for HIV positive individuals and their partners. Home-based testing can further facilitate partner disclosure, as couples can test together and be counselled jointly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores how notions of the individual and population are evoked in two ongoing HIV treatment as prevention (TasP) implementation studies in Swaziland. By contrasting policy discourses with lived kinship experiences of people living with HIV, we seek to understand how TasP unfolds in the Swazi context. Data collection consisted of eight focus group discussions with people living with HIV who were members of support groups to examine their perspectives about TasP. In addition, 18 key informant interviews were conducted with study team members, national-level policy-makers and NGO representatives involved in the design of health communication messages about TasP in Swaziland. Thematic analysis was used to identify recurrent themes in transcripts and field notes. Policy-makers and people living with HIV actively resisted framing HIV treatment as a prevention technology but promoted it as (earlier) access to treatment for all. TasP was not conceptualised in terms of individual or societal benefits, which are characteristic of international public health debates; rather its locally situated meanings were embedded in kinship experiences, concerns about taking responsibility for one's own health and others, local biomedical knowledge about drug resistance, and secrecy. The findings from this study suggest that more attention is needed to understand how the global discourse of TasP becomes shaped in practice in different cultural contexts.