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Expansion of HAART Coverage Is Associated with Sustained Decreases in HIV/AIDS Morbidity, Mortality and HIV Transmission: The “HIV Treatment as Prevention” Experience in a Canadian Setting

Resource type
Date created
2014-02-12
Authors/Contributors
Author (aut): Montaner, Julio S.G.
Author (aut): Lima, Viviane D.
Author (aut): Harrigan, P. Richard
Author (aut): Lourenço, Lillian
Author (aut): Benita Yip,
Author (aut): Nosyk, Bohdan
Author (aut): Wood, Evan
Author (aut): Kerr, Thomas
Author (aut): Shannon, Kate
Author (aut): Moore, David
Author (aut): Hogg, Robert S.
Author (aut): Barrios, Rolando
Author (aut): Gilbert, Mark
Author (aut): Krajden, Mel
Author (aut): Gustafson, Reka
Author (aut): Daly, Patricia
Author (aut): Kendall, Perry
Abstract
BackgroundThere has been renewed call for the global expansion of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) under the framework of HIV treatment as prevention (TasP). However, population-level sustainability of this strategy has not been characterized.MethodsWe used population-level longitudinal data from province-wide registries including plasma viral load, CD4 count, drug resistance, HAART use, HIV diagnoses, AIDS incidence, and HIV-related mortality. We fitted two Poisson regression models over the study period, to relate estimated HIV incidence and the number of individuals on HAART and the percentage of virologically suppressed individuals.ResultsHAART coverage, median pre-HAART CD4 count, and HAART adherence increased over time and were associated with increasing virological suppression and decreasing drug resistance. AIDS incidence decreased from 6.9 to 1.4 per 100,000 population (80% decrease, p = 0.0330) and HIV-related mortality decreased from 6.5 to 1.3 per 100,000 population (80% decrease, p = 0.0115). New HIV diagnoses declined from 702 to 238 cases (66% decrease; p = 0.0004) with a consequent estimated decline in HIV incident cases from 632 to 368 cases per year (42% decrease; p = 0.0003). Finally, our models suggested that for each increase of 100 individuals on HAART, the estimated HIV incidence decreased 1.2% and for every 1% increase in the number of individuals suppressed on HAART, the estimated HIV incidence also decreased by 1%.ConclusionsOur results show that HAART expansion between 1996 and 2012 in BC was associated with a sustained and profound population-level decrease in morbidity, mortality and HIV transmission. Our findings support the long-term effectiveness and sustainability of HIV treatment as prevention within an adequately resourced environment with no financial barriers to diagnosis, medical care or antiretroviral drugs. The 2013 Consolidated World Health Organization Antiretroviral Therapy Guidelines offer a unique opportunity to further evaluate TasP in other settings, particularly within generalized epidemics, and resource-limited setting, as advocated by UNAIDS.
Document
Published as
Montaner JS, Lima VD, Harrigan PR, Lourenço L, Yip B, et al. (2014) Expansion of HAART Coverage Is Associated with Sustained Decreases in HIV/AIDS Morbidity, Mortality and HIV Transmission: The “HIV Treatment as Prevention” Experience in a Canadian Setting. PLoS ONE 9(2): e87872. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0087872
Publication title
PLoS ONE
Document title
Expansion of HAART Coverage Is Associated with Sustained Decreases in HIV/AIDS Morbidity, Mortality and HIV Transmission: The “HIV Treatment as Prevention” Experience in a Canadian Setting
Date
2014
Volume
9
Issue
2
Publisher DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0087872
Copyright statement
Copyright is held by the author(s).
Scholarly level
Peer reviewed?
Yes
Language
English
Member of collection
Download file Size
1003.pdf 7.23 MB

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