A new Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) from CDC outlines how comprehensive, data-guided, locally adapted interventions and incident command structures can help increase and retain the number of persons with HIV infection who receive ART, reducing HIV-related morbidity and mortality as well as decreasing HIV transmission.
Through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), CDC launched an 18-month antiretroviral therapy (ART) Surge program in nine Nigerian states in April 2019, including implementation of incident command structures to manage operations. The Surge program established consortiums of public and non-governmental stakeholders which, partnered with high-level engagement by the U.S. Embassy and Consulate as well as broad data sharing with involved partners, increased local engagement and regular program evaluation. Through this program, the weekly number of persons with newly identified HIV infection who initiated ART increased approximately eightfold, from May 4, 2019, to September 26, 2020.
Read about how the Surge program adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic to increase ART initiation and retention in the CDC report here: Rapid Scale-up of an Antiretroviral Therapy Program Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic — Nine States, Nigeria, March 31, 2019–September 30, 2020
