Saving Lives from Opportunistic Infections: Diagnostics for the Advanced HIV Package of Care

Sponsors: The International Consortium on Advanced HIV Disease
Date: Wednesday, 12 December 2018
Time: 19:30-21:00
Location: Niger/Enugu

Seminar Description:
More than a third of people starting antiretroviral therapy have advanced HIV disease, and an increasing number of patients re-present to care at an advanced stage of HIV disease following disengagement from care. The leading causes of morbidity and mortality in these patients include tuberculosis, severe bacterial infections, cryptococcal meningitis, toxoplasmosis, and Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia. In 2017, WHO published guidelines for the management of advanced HIV disease in adults, adolescents, and children and recommended a package of care that includes opportunistic infection screening and prophylaxis, depending on age and CD4 cell count. Advanced HIV disease has been, until recently, largely neglected and remains a persistent problem, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

This session will highlight the burden of advanced HIV disease in Africa along with the diagnostics services available to support the WHO Advanced Disease Package of Care and reduce and eventually eliminate mortality due to HIV-related infections.

At the end of the seminar, participants will:

  • Understand the burden of advanced HIV disease in Africa and why the Advanced Disease Package of care is necessary to impact HIV-related morbidity and mortality;
  • Learn about country successes, challenges, and lessons learned in implementation of the key diagnostic tests in the package of care, including:
    • How to implement point-of-care cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) screening in a resource-limited setting (Malawi),
    • Experiences in training health workers to diagnose and treat cryptococcal meningitis (Nigeria),
    • Challenges to diagnosing tuberculosis disease in Nigeria, and
    • What is needed to expand access to advanced disease diagnostics in high-burden countries;
  • Be up-to-date on the latest global efforts and proposals for expansion of the advanced HIV disease package.

Speakers:

  • Bernard Mvula, Ministry of Health of Malawi
  • Rita Oladele, Medical Mycology Society of Nigeria
  • Dan Onwujekwe, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR)
  • Wale Ajose, UNITAID
  • Sani Aliyu, National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Nigeria
  • Lara Vojnov, Hepatitis and HIV Department, World Health Organization
  • Nqobile Ndlovu, African Society for Laboratory Medicine
  • Charles Kiyaga, African Society for Laboratory Medicine
  • Tom Chiller, Mycotic Diseases Branch, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • Heather Alexander, International Laboratory Branch, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention