Quantifying the impact of cascade inequalities: a modelling study on the prevention impacts of antiretroviral therapy scale-up in Eswatini.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Inequalities in the antiretroviral therapy (ART) cascade across subpopulations remain an ongoing challenge in the global HIV response. Eswatini achieved the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets by 2020, with differentiated programs to minimize inequalities across subpopulations, including for female sex workers (FSW) and their clients. We sought to estimate additional HIV infections expected in Eswatini if cascade scale-up had not been equal, and under which epidemic conditions these inequalities could have the largest influence.

Methods

Drawing on population-level and FSW-specific surveys in Eswatini, we developed a compartmental model of heterosexual HIV transmission which included eight subpopulations and four sexual partnership types. We calibrated the model to stratified

SUBMITTER: Knight J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10889039 | biostudies-literature | 2024 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature