Objective:To compare childhood physical growth among antiretroviral drug and maternal HIV-exposed uninfected (AHEU) compared with HIV-unexposed uninfected (HUU) children.Design:Longitudinal follow-up of PROMISE trial (NCT01061151) AHEU and age-matched and sex-matched HUU children, enrolled (September 2013 to October 2014) in Malawi and Uganda.Method:We compared WHO population standardized z-scores [height-for-age (HAZ), weight-for-age (WAZ), weight-for-height (WHZ), head-circumference-for-age (HCAZ) at 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 months of age]. We evaluated HUU versus AHEU [in-utero combination antiretroviral treatment (cART) versus Zidovudine (ZDV) alone]; stratified by country, using longitudinal linear and generalized linear mixed models.Results:Of 466 Malawian and 477 Ugandan children, median maternal age at enrollment was 24.5 years (Malawi) and 27.8 years (Uganda); more than 90% were breastfed through 12 months except Uganda AHEU (64.0%). HAZ scores (adjusted for maternal age, breastfed, and socioeconomic status) were lower among AHEU versus HUU children at every time point, significant (P < 0.05) among Ugandan but not Malawian children. Similar patterns were seen for WAZ but not for WHZ or HCAZ scores. High stunting was observed in both countries, significantly higher in Malawi; and higher among AHEU versus HUU children through 48 months of age, significantly (P < 0.05) among Ugandan but not Malawian children. We found no differences in childhood growth trajectories with in-utero exposures to ZDV compared with cART.Conclusion:AHEU versus HUU children had lower median LAZ and WAZ scores persisting through 60 months of age. However, proportions of children with stunting or underweight decreased after 24 months of age.

Background Viral load (VL) testing is the gold-standard approach for monitoring human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment success and virologic failure, but uptake is suboptimal in resource-limited and rural settings. We conducted a cross-sectional study of risk factors for non-uptake of VL testing in rural Uganda. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of uptake of VL testing among randomly selected people with HIV (PWH) receiving anti-retroviral treatment (ART) for at least 6 months at all eight primary health centers in Gomba district, rural Uganda. Socio-demographic and clinical data were extracted from medical records for the period January to December 2017. VL testing was routinely performed 6 months after ART initiation and 12 months thereafter for PWH stable on ART. We used descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression to evaluate factors associated with non-uptake of VL testing (the primary outcome). Results Of 414 PWH, 60% were female, and the median age was 40 years (interquartile range [IQR] 31–48). Most (62.3%) had been on ART > 2 years, and the median duration of treatment was 34 months (IQR 14–55). Thirty three percent did not receive VL testing: 36% of women and 30% of men. Shorter duration of ART (≤2 years) (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 2.38; 95% CI:1.37–4.12; p = 0.002), younger age 16–30 years (AOR 2.74; 95% CI:1.44–5.24; p = 0.002) and 31–45 years (AOR 1.92; 95% CI 1.12–3.27; p = 0.017), and receipt of ART at Health Center IV (AOR 2.85; 95% CI: 1.78–4.56; p < 0.001) were significantly associated with non-uptake of VL testing. Conclusions One-in-three PWH on ART missed VL testing in rural Uganda. Strategies to improve coverage of VL testing, such as VL focal persons to flag missed tests, patient education and demand creation for VL testing are needed, particularly for recent ART initiates and younger persons on treatment, in order to attain the third Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) 95–95-95 target – virologic suppression for 95% of PWH on ART.

Background Despite recent efforts to scale-up lifelong combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) in sub-Saharan Africa, high rates of unsuppressed viremia persist among cART users, and many countries in the region fall short of the UNAIDS 2020 target to have 90% virally suppressed. We sought to determine the factors associated with unsuppressed viremia (defined for the purpose of this study as >200 copies/ml) among sub-Saharan African women on lifelong cART. Methods This cross-sectional analysis was based on baseline data of the PROMOTE longitudinal cohort study at 8 sites in Uganda, Malawi, Zimbabwe and South Africa. The study enrolled 1987 women living with HIV who initiated lifelong cART at least 1-5 years ago. Socio-demographic, clinical, and cART adherence data were collected. We used multivariable Poisson regression with robust variance to identify factors associated with unsuppressed viremia. Results At enrolment, 1947/1987 (98%) women reported taking cART. Of these, HIV-1 remained detectable in 293/1934 (15%), while 216/1934 (11.2%) were considered unsuppressed (>200 copies/ml). The following factors were associated with an increased risk of

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Background Given well documented challenges faced by pregnant women living with HIV taking lifetime ART, it is critical to understand the impact of short-term ART exposure followed by treatment interruption on maternal health outcomes. Methods HIV+ breastfeeding (BF) and Formula Feeding (FF) women with CD4 counts > 350 cells/ mm3, enrolled in the 1077BF/1077FF PROMISE trial were followed to assess the effect of ART during pregnancy and breastfeeding respectively. The first analysis compared ART use limited to the antepartum period (AP-only) relative to women randomized to Zidovudine. The second analysis included women with no pregnancy combination ART exposure; and compared women randomized to either ART or no ART during postpartum (PP-only). Both analyses included follow-up time beyond breastfeeding period. The primary outcome was