High HIV prevalence and associated factors in Lesotho: Results from a population-based survey

Schwitters, Amee; McCracken, Stephen; Frederix, Koen; Tierney, Reese; Koto, Masebeo; Ahmed, Nahima; Thin, Kyaw; Dobbs, Trudy; Sithole, Sakhile; Letsie, Mosilinyane; Parekh, Bharat; Patel, Hetal; Birhanu, Sehin; Wiesner, Lubbe; Low, Andrea

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0271431

Cited by 18 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…This can be due to two reasons, the first being that Lesotho has a generalised human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic. In 2017, the overall prevalence of HIV among individuals aged 15-59 years was estimated to be 25.6% (95% CrI = 24.7-26.4), which corresponds to approximately 306 000 people living with HIV [ 31 ]. The second reason can be attributed to poverty, limited social protection measures, and inadequate health care resources [ 32 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Healthy life expectancy for 202 countries up to 2030: Projections with a Bayesian model ensemble

Cai,

Hu,

Yang

et al. 2023

J Glob Health

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Background Healthy life expectancy (HLE) projections are required for optimising social and health service management in the future. Existing studies on the topic were usually conducted by selecting a single model for analysis. We thus aimed to use an ensembled model to project the future HLE for 202 countries/region. Methods We obtained data on age-sex-specific HLE and the sociodemographic index (SDI) level of 202 countries from 1990 to 2019 from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) database and used a probabilistic Bayesian model comprised of 21 forecasting models to predict their HLE in 2030. Results In general, HLE is projected to increase in all 202 countries, with the least probability of 82.4% for women and 81.0% for men. Most of the countries with the lowest projected HLE would be located in Africa. Women in Singapore have the highest projected HLE in 2030, with a 94.5% probability of higher than 75.2 years, which is the highest HLE in 2019 across countries. Maldives, Kuwait, and China are projected to have a probability of 49.3%, 41.2% and 31.6% to be the new entries of the top ten countries with the highest HLE for females compared with 2019. Men in Singapore are projected to have the highest HLE at birth in 2030, with a 93.4% probability of higher than 75.2 years. Peru and Maldives have a probability of 48.7% and 35.3% being new top ten countries in male’s HLE. The female advantage in HLE will shrink by 2030 in 117 countries, especially in most of the high SDI and European countries. Conclusions HLE will likely continue to increase in most countries and regions worldwide in the future. More attention needs to be paid to combatting obesity, chronic diseases, and specific infectious diseases, especially in African and some Pacific Island countries. Although gender gaps may not be fully bridged, HLE could partially mitigate and even eliminate them through economic development and improvements in health care.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Healthy life expectancy for 202 countries up to 2030: Projections with a Bayesian model ensemble

Cai,

Hu,

Yang

et al. 2023

J Glob Health

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“…Additional testing such as CD4 (PIMA CD4, Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, Illinois, USA), GEENIUS HIV-1/2 supplemental assays (Bio-Rad, Hercules, California, USA), and measured HIV-1 RNA in plasma or dried blood spots using real-time PCR (COBAS TAQMAN, Roche) were conducted on all HIV-positive specimens. We supplemented the parental reports of the child's awareness of infection and ART status with measurement of analytes of antiretrovirals (efavirenz, nevirapine and lopinavir) using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry [23,24]; children were considered aware and on ART if they were reported as such or if antiretrovirals were detected.…”

Section: Procedures For Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The state of the pediatric HIV epidemic in Lesotho: results from a population-based survey

Frederix

Schwitters

Chung

et al. 2023

Aids

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Objective: Lesotho does not have reliable data on HIV prevalence in children, relying on estimates generated from program data. The 2016 Lesotho Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (LePHIA) aimed to determine HIV prevalence among children 0–14 years to assess the effectiveness of the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) program and guide future policy. Methods: A nationally representative sample of children under 15 years underwent household-based, two-stage HIV testing from November 2016-May 2017. Children <18 months with a reactive screening test were tested for HIV infection using total nucleic acid (TNA) PCR. Parents (61.1%) or legal guardians (38.9%) provided information on children's clinical history. Children aged 10–14 years also answered a questionnaire on knowledge and behaviors. Results: HIV prevalence was 2.1% [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.5–2.6]. Prevalence in 10–14 year olds (3.2%; 95% CI: 2.1, 4.2) was significantly greater compared to 0–4 year olds (1.0%; 95% CI: 0.5, 1.6). HIV prevalence in girls and boys was 2.6% (95% CI: 1.8–3.3) and 1.5% (95% CI: 1.0–2.1), respectively. Based on reported status and/or the presence of detectable antiretrovirals, 81.1% (95% CI: 71.7–90.4) of HIV-positive children were aware of their status, 98.2% (95% CI: 90.7–100.0) of those aware were on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and 73.9% (95% CI: 62.1–85.8) of those on ART were virally suppressed. Conclusions: Despite the roll-out of Option B+ in Lesotho in 2013, pediatric HIV prevalence remains high. Further research is required to understand the greater prevalence among girls, barriers to PMTCT, and how to better achieve viral suppression in children with HIV.

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“…In South Africa, the prevalence of HIV in Eswatini is 30.0% and that of Lesotho is 25.6%. 16,17 Ghana has a countrywide HIV prevalence of 1.6%, with regional rates varying; the Bono area has the highest regional HIV prevalence, at 2.5%. 18 Syphilis is estimated to affect around 6 million individuals between the ages of 15 and 49 annually worldwide, leading to ~300,000 prenatal and neonatal deaths.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Africa alone accounts for about two‐thirds of the global HIV population. In South Africa, the prevalence of HIV in Eswatini is 30.0% and that of Lesotho is 25.6% 16,17 . Ghana has a countrywide HIV prevalence of 1.6%, with regional rates varying; the Bono area has the highest regional HIV prevalence, at 2.5% 18 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transfusion transmissible infections among blood donors in Ghana: A 3‐year multicentered health facility‐based retrospective study

Walana,

Vicar,

Kuugbee

et al. 2023

Health Science Reports

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Transfusion transmissible infections (TTIs) remain a major health challenge particularly in developing countries. Here, we present a multicentered hospital‐based retrospective study on the prevalence, distribution, and risk factors of TTIs in Ghana. Data on blood donors from four health facilities, namely Nkwanta South Municipal Hospital (Oti region), Weija‐Gbawe Municipal Hospital (Greater Accra region), SDA Hospital (Northern region) and Wa Municipal Hospital (Upper West region) were extracted and analyzed. Descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression were applied to compare sociodemographic data with TTI status. A total of 6094 blood donors were included in this study, and 2% were females. The overall prevalence of TTIs was 21.0% (1232/5868). Specifically, the prevalence of HBV, HCV, HIV, and Syphilis was 6.6% (385/5868), 4.9% (286/5830), 2.9% (168/5867), and 6.8% (393/5739), respectively. Wa dominated in all the viral agents considered in this study, while the Oti region recorded the highest prevalence in T. pallidum. The odds of HBV infection was 3.1 (p = 0.008) among first‐time donors, while that for HCV was 2.8 (p = 0.042). For rural dwellers, donors significantly had T. pallidum (p < 0.001; OR = 2.8), HCV (p < 0.001; OR = 2.9), and HIV (p = 0.028; OR = 1.5) infections. Generally, the recipients of transfused blood were predominantly pregnant mothers, followed by children and accident victims. This study has revealed significant disparities and relatively high prevalence of TTIs in Ghana, specifically HBV, HCV, HIV and T. pallidum infections. The variations suggest the presence of unique health challenges per study area, hence the need for a tailored intervention for each study site.

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High HIV prevalence and associated factors in Lesotho: Results from a population-based survey

Cited by 18 publications

References 29 publications

Healthy life expectancy for 202 countries up to 2030: Projections with a Bayesian model ensemble

Healthy life expectancy for 202 countries up to 2030: Projections with a Bayesian model ensemble

The state of the pediatric HIV epidemic in Lesotho: results from a population-based survey

Transfusion transmissible infections among blood donors in Ghana: A 3‐year multicentered health facility‐based retrospective study

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