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HIV-infected children and adolescents are at increased risk for tuberculosis (TB). Antiretroviral therapy (ART) reduces TB risk in HIV-infected adults, but its effectiveness in HIV-infected children and adolescents is unknown. We analyzed data from 7 integrated pediatric HIV/TB centers in 6 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. We used a Bayesian mixed-effect model to assess association between ART and TB prevalence and used adaptive lasso regression to analyze risk factors for adverse TB outcomes. The study period encompassed 57,525 patient-years and 1,160 TB cases (2,017 cases/100,000 patient-years). Every 10% increase in ART uptake resulted in a 2.33% reduction in TB prevalence. Favorable TB outcomes were associated with increased time in care and early ART initiation, whereas severe immunosuppression was associated with death. These findings support integrated HIV/TB services for HIV-infected children and adults and demonstrate the association of ART uptake with decreased TB incidence in high HIV/TB settings.

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic reached the African continent in less than three months from when the first cases were reported from mainland China. As COVID-19 preparedness and response plans were rapidly instituted across sub-Saharan Africa, many governments and donor organizations braced themselves for the unknown impact the COVID-19 pandemic would have in under-resourced settings with high burdens of PLHIV. The potential negative impact of COVID-19 in these countries is uncertain, but is estimated to contribute both directly and indirectly to the morbidity and mortality of PLHIV, requiring countries to leverage existing HIV care systems to propel COVID-19 responses, while safeguarding PLHIV and HIV programme gains. In anticipation of COVID-19-related disruptions, PEPFAR promptly established guidance to rapidly adapt HIV programmes to maintain essential HIV services while protecting recipients of care and staff from COVID-19. This commentary reviews PEPFAR's COVID-19 technical guidance and provides country-specific examples of programme adaptions in sub-Saharan Africa. Discussion The COVID-19 pandemic may pose significant risks to the continuity of HIV services, especially in countries with high HIV prevalence and weak and over-burdened health systems. Although there is currently limited understanding of how COVID-19 affects PLHIV, it is imperative that public health systems and academic centres monitor the impact of COVID-19 on PLHIV. The general principles of the HIV programme adaptation guidance from PEPFAR prioritize protecting the gains in the HIV response while minimizing in-person home and facility visits and other direct contact when COVID-19 control measures are in effect. PEPFAR-supported clinical, laboratory, supply chain, community and data reporting systems can play an important role in mitigating the impact of COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa. Conclusions As community transmission of COVID-19 continues and the number of country cases rise, fragile health systems may be strained. Utilizing the adaptive, data-driven programme approaches in facilities and communities established and supported by PEPFAR provides the opportunity to strengthen the COVID-19 response while protecting the immense gains spanning HIV prevention, testing and treatment reached thus far.

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted global health service delivery, including provision of HIV services. Countries with high HIV burden are balancing the need to minimize interactions with health facilities to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission, while delivering uninterrupted essential HIV prevention, testing and treatment services. Many of these adaptations in resource-constrained settings have not adequately accounted for the needs of pregnant and breastfeeding women, infants, children and adolescents. We propose whole-family, tailored programme adaptations along the HIV clinical continuum to protect the programmatic gains made in services. Discussion Essential HIV case-finding services for pregnant and breastfeeding women and children should be maintained and include maternal testing, diagnostic testing for infants exposed to HIV, index testing for children whose biological parents or siblings are living with HIV, as well as for children/adolescents presenting with symptoms concerning for HIV and comorbidities. HIV self-testing for children two years of age and older should be supported with caregiver and provider education. Adaptations include bundling services in the same visit and providing testing outside of facilities to the extent possible to reduce exposure risk to COVID-19. Virtual platforms can be used to identify vulnerable children at risk of HIV infection, abuse, harm or violence, and link them to necessary clinical and psychosocial support services. HIV treatment service adaptations for families should focus on family based differentiated service delivery models, including community-based ART initiation and multi-month ART dispensing. Viral load monitoring should not be a barrier to transitioning children and adolescents experiencing treatment failure to more effective ART regimens, and viral load monitoring for pregnant and breastfeeding women and children should be prioritized and bundled with other essential services. Conclusions Protecting pregnant and breastfeeding women, infants, children and adolescents from acquiring SARS-CoV-2 while sustaining essential HIV services is an immense global health challenge. Tailored, family friendly programme adaptations for case-finding, ART delivery and viral load monitoring for these populations have the potential to limit SARS-CoV-2 transmission while ensuring the continuity of life-saving HIV case identification and treatment efforts.

Background/Objectives: In the last decade, many strategies have called for integration of HIV and child survival platforms to reduce missed opportunities and improve child health outcomes. Countries with generalized HIV epidemics have been encouraged to optimize each clinical encounter to bend the HIV epidemic curve. This systematic review looks at integrated child health services and summarizes evidence on their health outcomes, service uptake, acceptability, and identified enablers and barriers. Methods: Databases were systematically searched for peer-reviewed studies. Interventions of interest were HIV services integrated with: neonatal/child services for children

Many children living with HIV in resource-limited settings remain undiagnosed and at risk for HIV-related mortality and morbidity. This article describes 5 key strategies for strengthening HIV case finding and linkage to treatment for infants, children, and adolescents. These strategies result from lessons learned during the Accelerating Children's HIV/AIDS Treatment Initiative, a public-private partnership between the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF). The 5 strategies include (1) implementing a targeted mix of HIV case finding approaches (eg, provider-initiated testing and counseling within health facilities, optimization of early infant diagnosis, index family testing, and integration of HIV testing within key population and orphan and vulnerable children programs); (2) addressing the unique needs of adolescents; (3) collecting and using data for program improvement; (4) fostering a supportive political and community environment; and (5) investing in health system-strengthening activities. Continued advocacy and global investments are required to eliminate AIDS-related deaths among children and adolescents.

BACKGROUND To reach 90-90-90 targets, differentiated approaches to care are necessary. We describe the experience of delivering multimonth prescription (MMP) schedules of antiretroviral therapy (ART) to youth at centers of excellence in 6 African countries. METHODS We analyzed data from electronic medical records of patients aged 0-19 years started on ART. Patients were eligible to transition from monthly prescribing to MMP when clinically stable [improving CD4, viral load (VL) suppression, or minimal HIV-associated morbidity] and ART adherent (pill count 95%-105%). Patients were classified as transitioned to MMP after 3 consecutive visits at intervals of >56 days. We used survival analysis to describe death and lost to follow-up. We described adherence and acceptable immunologic response by CD4 using 6-month and VL suppression (

Introduction Despite a significant reduction in mother‐to‐child transmission of HIV, an estimated 180,000 children were infected with HIV in 2017, and only 52% of children under 15 years of age living with HIV (CLHIV) are on life‐saving antiretroviral therapy (ART). Without effective treatment, half of CLHIV die before the age of two years and only one in five survives to five years of age. Discussion Over the past four years, the United States Food and Drug Administration tentatively approved new formulations of lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) in the form of oral pellets and oral granules. However, the slow uptake of the aforementioned formulations in the low‐ and middle‐income countries with the highest paediatric HIV burden is largely due to three challenges: limited manufacturing capacity; current unit cost of the pellets and granules; and slow uptake of these new formulations by policy makers and health care workers. Conclusions Solutions to overcome these barriers include ensuring availability of an adequate supply of LPV/r oral pellets and oral granules, considering all programmatic and clinical factors when selecting paediatric ART formulations, and leveraging current resources to decrease paediatric HIV morbidity and mortality.

Background: Children and adolescents living with human immune-deficiency virus (C/ALHIV) have increased tuberculosis (TB) risk compared to HIV-negative peers. Anti-retroviral therapy (ART) reduces TB risk among adults living with HIV, but data is limited in C/ALHIV. Methods: Patient data from seven pediatric HIV centers that adhere to national guidelines in Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda were analyzed. Standardized HIV and TB classification and outcomes were reported following WHO guidelines. A Bayesian mixed effects model assessed association between ART coverage and TB period prevalence. Findings: The analytic period (2013-2017) encompassed 57,525 patient-years and captured 1,217 cases of HIV-associated child and adolescent TB. Favorable TB outcomes were associated with increased length of time in care and early ART initiation. Severe immunosuppression at TB diagnosis was associated with death. The TB incidence was 2,017/100,000 patient-years. With every 10% increase in C/ALHIV receiving ART, there was a 2.33% (95% Credible interval; 0.58%-4.40%) reduction in TB prevalence. Clinics with lower TB prevalence experienced less dramatic declines in TB incidence. Interpretation: These findings support continued need to advocate for policies and implement practices that optimize integrated pediatric and adolescent HIV and TB services. Although ART use is associated with decreased TB prevalence among C/ALHIV, novel TB interventions are likely required to achieve TB elimination and HIV epidemic control in TB/HIV high-burden settings. Funding Statement: This material has been supported by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the terms of USAID Award Number AID-674-A-16-00003. In addition, funds were leveraged from Texas Children’s Hospital to support completion of this research and dissemination of findings. Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics Approval Statement: No individual participant consent was required for this retrospective analysis of programmatic data. Approval was obtained from all necessary ethical bodies in each country including the Baylor College of Medicine Children’s Foundation or Trust, the national ethics committees in each country, and the Baylor College of Medicine Institutional Review Board.

Studies with typically developing children have supported the efficacy of parents’ direct efforts to facilitate social development. In this study, it was hypothesized that use of direct parenting methods would be associated with aspects of social functioning of children with cerebral palsy. Study participants were 60 children with cerebral palsy, ages 5–12 (M = 8.75; SD = 1.82), 62.3% male and their parents or guardians. Direct parenting methods were assessed with a modified empirically validated survey strategy. In contrast with findings from the typically developing population, there were no significant associations between direct parenting methods and children’s social functioning. Findings suggest the need to develop alternative models of multidimensional influences on social development of children with cerebral palsy.