Improving viral load suppression rate among pediatrics on antiretroviral therapy in Central Province, Zambia

The HIV viral load suppression rate in USAID Supporting an AIDS Free Era (SAFE)-supportedZambian facilities differs by age. Children below 15 years have a lower suppression rate than adults, attributed to health facility-related factors such as suboptimal regimens, drug under-dosing, and underlying infections. Client-related factors include poor drug storage, missing dosages, under-dosing, and lack of HIV status disclosure of the child to other caretakers.  USAID SAFE worked with the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Zambia to mitigate these factors. Eligible children were transitioned from the efavirenz-based regimen to the more efficacious dolutegravir-based regimen. This abstract was shared at the AIDS 2022 Conference.