Publications by authors named "Kenneth Masamaro"
Background: HIV low-level viremia (LLV) (51-999 copies/mL) can progress to treatment failure and increase potential for drug resistance. We analyzed retrospective longitudinal data from people living with HIV (PLHIV) on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Kenya to understand LLV prevalence and virologic outcomes.
Methods: We calculated rates of virologic suppression (≤50 copies/mL), LLV (51-999 copies/mL), virologic non-suppression (≥1000 copies/mL), and virologic failure (≥2 consecutive virologic non-suppression results) among PLHIV aged 15 years and older who received at least 24 weeks of ART during 2015-2021.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with funding from the US President's Plan for Emergency Relief, implements a virtual model for clinical mentorship, Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO), worldwide to connect multidisciplinary teams of healthcare workers (HCWs) with specialists to build capacity to respond to the HIV epidemic. The emergence of and quick evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic created the need and opportunity for the use of the Project ECHO model to help address the knowledge requirements of HCW responding to COVID-19 while maintaining HCW safety through social distancing. We describe the implementation experiences of Project ECHO in 5 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention programs as part of their COVID-19 response, in which existing platforms were used to rapidly disseminate relevant, up-to-date COVID-19-related clinical information to a large, multidisciplinary audience of stakeholders within their healthcare systems.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - The study utilized data from the 2018 Kenya Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment (KENPHIA) to estimate pediatric HIV prevalence and assess factors related to infection among children under 15 years in Kenya.
- - Of the 9,072 participants, only 57 children tested positive for HIV, resulting in a prevalence rate of 0.7%, which translates to an estimated 138,900 HIV-positive children in the country.
- - Findings indicated that being orphaned or having a caregiver unaware of their child's HIV status significantly increased the odds of infection, with many HIV-positive children lacking access to treatment and viral suppression.
Article Synopsis
- Early combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) leads to improved care linkage and virologic suppression, according to WHO guidelines, and this study analyzed its impact in Kenya.
- Among 8,592 HIV-infected adults starting cART, same-day initiation after diagnosis rose significantly, yet those starting cART on the same day showed higher non-retention rates compared to those starting after 91+ days.
- While about 14% of participants experienced initial virologic non-suppression within the first six months, there was no significant association found between the timing of cART initiation and viral suppression outcomes.
Background: The scale-up of HIV treatment programs has resulted in a reduction in HIV-related morbidity and mortality. However, retention of patients in these programs remains a challenge in sub-Saharan Africa. Understanding factors associated with loss to follow-up (LTFU) and mortality outcomes is therefore important to inform targeted program interventions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The Kenyan HIV treatment program has significantly improved survival rates among people living with HIV (PLHIV), while noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) have emerged as a major health concern over the past decade.
- A study reviewed medical records from over 3,000 HIV-infected adults to assess the prevalence and incidence of four major NCDs: cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes.
- Findings revealed that 11.5% of PLHIV had a documented NCD, with elevated blood pressure being the most common, yet only a small fraction had a diagnosis of hypertension in their records; men were found to have a higher incidence rate of NCDs compared to women.
Where No Universal Health Care Identifier Exists: Comparison and Determination of the Utility of Score-Based Persons Matching Algorithms Using Demographic Data.
JMIR Public Health Surveill
December 2018
Background: A universal health care identifier (UHID) facilitates the development of longitudinal medical records in health care settings where follow up and tracking of persons across health care sectors are needed. HIV case-based surveillance (CBS) entails longitudinal follow up of HIV cases from diagnosis, linkage to care and treatment, and is recommended for second generation HIV surveillance. In the absence of a UHID, records matching, linking, and deduplication may be done using score-based persons matching algorithms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF