DETECTION OF NEW HIV CASES UNDER EPIDEMIC CONTROL - WHEN IS IT THE RIGHT TIME TO REVIEW HIV TESTING ALGORITHMS FOR COUNTRIES NEARING THE 95-95-95 MILESTONES? CASE STUDY -BOTSWANA.

Background: Accurate diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is dependent on using established national HIV testing algorithm. The purpose of this study was to review published articles to identify, and apply lessons learned to determine factors affecting transition of HIV testing algorithm for countries that have attained HIV epidemic control.

Materials And Methods: We systematically searched peer-reviewed articles from online scientific databases; PubMed and Google Scholar from January 2019 to March 2024, using defined search phrases to extract articles.

Validation of dilution of plasma samples with phosphate buffered saline to eliminate the problem of small volumes associated with children infected with HIV-1 for viral load testing using Cobas AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan HIV-1 test, version 2.0 (CAP CTM HIV v2.0).

The sample requirement of 1 mL for the Roche COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan HIV-1 test, version 2.0 (CAP CTM HIV v2.0) limits its utility in measuring plasma HIV-1 RNA levels for small volume samples from children infected with HIV-1.

Early diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus in infants using polymerase chain reaction on dried blood spots in Botswana's national program for prevention of mother-to-child transmission.

Background: Botswana has high antenatal human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevalence (33.4%). The public health system provides free services for prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) and antiretroviral therapy, which can reduce vertical HIV transmission from 35% to <5%.