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IntroductionPopulation-based HIV-free survival at 18-24 months of age among HIV-exposed infants in high prevalence settings in the era of treatment for all is largely unknown. We conducted a community-based survey to determine outcomes of HIV-exposed infants at 18-24 months in Lesotho.MethodsBetween November 2015 and December 2016, we conducted a survey among households with a child born 18-24 months prior to data collection. Catchment areas from 25 health facilities in Butha-Buthe, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek and Thaba-Tseka districts were randomly selected using probability proportional to size sampling. Consecutive households were visited and eligible consenting caregivers and children were enrolled. Rapid HIV antibody testing was performed on mothers of unknown HIV status (never tested or tested HIV-negative >3 months prior) and their children, and to children born to known HIV-positive mothers. Information on demographics, health-seeking behavior, HIV, and mortality were captured for mothers and children, including those who died. The difference in survival between subgroups was determined using the log-rank test.ResultsOf the 1,852 mothers/caregivers enrolled, 570 mothers were HIV-positive. The mother-to-child HIV transmission rate was 5.7% [95% CI: 4.0-8.0]. The mortality rate was 2.6% [95% CI: 1.6-4.2] among HIV-exposed children compared to 1.4% (95% CI: 0.9-2.3) among HIV-unexposed children. HIV-free survival was 91.8% [95% CI: 89.2-93.8] among HIV-exposed infants. Disclosure of mother's HIV status (aOR = 4.9, 95% CI: 1.3-18.2) and initiation of cotrimoxazole prophylaxis in the child (aOR = 3.9, 95% CI: 1.2-12.6) were independently associated with increased HIV-free survival while child growth problems (aOR = 0.2, 95% CI: 0.09-0.5) were independently associated with reduced HIV-free survival.ConclusionEven in the context of lifelong antiretroviral therapy among pregnant and breastfeeding women, HIV has a significant effect on survival among HIV-exposed children compared to unexposed children. Lesotho has not reached elimination of HIV transmission from mother to child.

BACKGROUND:Lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART) reduces mother-to-child HIV transmission (MTCT) and improves maternal health. Data on the outcomes of HIV-exposed infants (HEI) compared to their unexposed counterparts in the era of universal ART is limited. We compared birth and 6-week outcomes among infants born to HIV-positive and HIV-negative women in Lesotho. METHODS:941 HIV-negative and 653 HIV-positive pregnant women were enrolled in an observational cohort to evaluate the effectiveness of prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) program after implementation of universal maternal ART in 14 health facilities. Pregnancy, delivery, birth, and 6-week data were collected through participant interviews and medical record review. DNA PCR testing for HEI was conducted within 2 weeks of birth and at around 6 weeks of age. Data were analysed to estimate the distribution of birth outcomes, mortality, HIV transmission and HIV-free survival at 6 weeks. RESULTS:HIV-positive women were older (mean age of 28.7 vs. 24.4 years) and presented for antenatal care earlier (mean gestational age of 23.0 weeks vs 25.3 weeks) than HIV-negative women. Prematurity was more frequent among HEI, 7.8% vs. 3.6%. There was no difference in rates of congenital anomalies between HEI (1.0%) and HIV-unexposed infants (HUI) (0.6%). Cumulative HIV transmission was 0.9% (N = 4/431) (95% CI:0.25-2.36) at birth and 1.0% (N = 6/583) (95% CI:0.38-2.23) at 6 weeks. Overall mortality, including stillbirths, was 5.2% and 6.0% by 6 weeks for HUI and HEI respectively. Among liveborn infants, 6-week HIV-free survival for HEI was 95.6% (95% CI:93.7-97.1) compared to 96.8% (95% CI:95.4-97.9) survival for HUI. CONCLUSIONS:Implementation of universal maternal ART lowers MTCT at 6 weeks of age with no differences in congenital anomalies or early mortality between HIV exposed Infants and HIV unexposed infants. However, HIV exposed infants continue to have high rates of prematurity despite improved maternal health on ART.

One component of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) goal to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2030, is that 95% of all persons receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) achieve viral suppression. † Thus, testing all HIV-positive persons for viral load (number of copies of viral RNA per mL) is a global health priority (1). CDC and other U.S. government agencies, as part of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), together with other stakeholders, have provided technical assistance and supported the cost for multiple countries in sub-Saharan Africa to expand viral load testing as the preferred monitoring strategy for clinical response to ART. The individual and population-level benefits of ART are well understood (2). Persons receiving ART who achieve and sustain an undetectable viral load do not transmit HIV to their sex partners, thereby disrupting onward transmission (2,3). Viral load testing is a cost-effective and sustainable programmatic approach for monitoring treatment success, allowing reduced frequency of health care visits for patients who are virally suppressed (4). Viral load monitoring enables early and accurate detection of treatment failure before immunologic decline. This report describes progress on the scale-up of viral load testing in eight sub-Saharan African countries from 2013 to 2018 and examines the trajectory of improvement with viral load testing scale-up that has paralleled government commitments, sustained technical assistance, and financial resources from international donors. Viral load testing in low- and middle-income countries enables monitoring of viral load suppression at the individual and population level, which is necessary to achieve global epidemic control. Although there has been substantial achievement in improving viral load coverage for all patients receiving ART, continued engagement is needed to reach global targets., Competing Interests: All authors have completed and submitted the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.

Background: Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for HIV antibodies remain the primary method of diagnosis of HIV in individuals over age 18 months in Lesotho. Although antibody tests have high sensitivity and specificity, up to 2.3% of serial two-test algorithms can have discrepant results between RDTs. In the case of inconclusive RDT results, Lesotho guidelines at the time of this study recommended either repeat testing with the same RDT algorithm after 14 days or immediately collect a blood sample to be sent for laboratory-based polymerase chain reaction testing. Point-of-care qualitative nucleic acid tests (POC qual NAT) may have benefits in rapidly resolving these inconclusive results, particularly when compared with repeating RDTs later or conventional polymerase chain reaction testing at the National Reference Laboratory., Setting: Hospitals and clinics at 29 locations throughout Lesotho that had access to point-of-care nucleic acid testing., Methods: Retrospective case review., Results: We identified 100 testing records where POC qual NAT was used to resolve inconclusive RDTs per Lesotho guidelines. Eighty-nine percent of patients received their results in a median of one day from their inconclusive RDT result (interquartile range 0-7 days). Sixty-eight patients (68%) were determined to be HIV positive based on POC nucleic acid tests (NATs), of which 54 (79%) were started on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Median time from inconclusive RDT result to initiation of ART therapy was 2 days (interquartile range 0-14 days). Three patients in this review were pregnant at the time of testing; one was HIV positive by POC qual NAT and was started on ART therapy the same day., Conclusion: As the availability of POC qual NAT platforms increases, they may serve as feasible options for rapid resolution of inconclusive results and initiation of ART, particularly in populations with high risk of imminent transmission.