Assessing the impact of HIV prevention, care and treatment services in Cameroon: Implications for policy and planning

CaHReF 2016, Yaoundé Conges hall, 23 – 26 August 2016 , PL182

International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Program (ICAP) at Columbia University is in collaboration with Cameroon Ministry of Health and CDC to implement the Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (PHIA) Project in Cameroon. The PHIA is designed to serve the needs of both policy makers and scholars alike. It will provide both national and regional HIV prevalence estimates as well as national estimates of HIV incidence and viral load suppression among both adults and children. These latter two measures are unique in that they now allow researchers to evaluate where new infections are concentrated, and they enable scholars to evaluate effectiveness of current HIV treatment regimes. In addition to HIV tests, the PHIA includes testing for CD4 counts, viral load and hepatitis B. One of the particular strengths of the survey is that these tests are being done as part of a nationally representative household-based survey. As the majority of HIV testing and surveillance is done at facilities, most data represents only the portion of the population that seeks medical care. A household-based study like the PHIA reaches out into the community to capture a portrait of the population as a whole, not just people who have sought care at a facility. In addition to the blood testing, the survey includes questionnaires that evaluate demographic, socio-economic and behavioral risk factors of the participants. The results of these questionnaires, when paired with the biomedical test results, will be a powerful tool for evaluating the trajectory of the HIV epidemic, for identifying who is most at risk in Cameroon, and for planning HIV policy interventions in the future. Finally, the fact that PHIAs are being conducted in at least 10 African Countries will provide useful comparisons for Cameroonian researchers interested in comparing data and health outcomes across multiple African countries.

HIV, biomarkers, impact, surveillance, nationally, households, Cameroon