Short-Term Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on HIV Care Utilization, Service Delivery, and Continuity of HIV Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) in Haiti.

Introduction: Our study describes changes in HIV care service delivery and continuity of HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART) for people living with HIV (PLHIV) during the 8 weeks before and after diagnosis of the first coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in Haiti on March 19, 2020.

Methods: Using data from 96 out of 167 health facilities offering ART services, we compared four ART program indicators: (1) count of HIV visits; (2) proportion of ART dispenses in community-based settings (DAC); (3) proportion of multi-month dispensing of ART medications > 6 months (> 6 m MMD); and (4) proportion of timely ART refills. We used uncontrolled interrupted time series (ITS) models to estimate slope and level changes in each indicator with the arrival of COVID-19.

Fertility and HIV following universal access to ART in Rwanda: a cross-sectional analysis of Demographic and Health Survey data.

Background: HIV infection is linked to decreased fertility and fertility desires in sub-Saharan Africa due to biological and social factors. We investigate the relationship between HIV infection and fertility or fertility desires in the context of universal access to antiretroviral therapy introduced in 2004 in Rwanda.

Methods: We used data from 3532 and 4527 women aged 20-49 from the 2005 and 2010 Rwandan Demographic and Health Surveys (RDHS), respectively.

Chronicle of an outbreak foretold: meningococcal meningitis W135 in Burkina Faso.

Burkina Faso lies within the African meningitis belt. Until recently, serogroup A of Neisseria meningitidis was the most common cause of epidemic meningitis in Burkina Faso. However, during the epidemic that started in January 2002, W135 was the predominant serogroup of meningococcus.