Cohort profile: the Viral load Cohort North-East Lesotho (VICONEL) from 2016 to 2023 - cohort description, test volumes, predictors of viraemia and the road ahead.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

The prospective Viral load Cohort North-East Lesotho (VICONEL) aims to support clinical management and generate scientific evidence to inform HIV care. Specifically, VICONEL allows for the monitoring of HIV treatment outcomes and health system performance, encompasses a biobank for further research with routinely collected blood plasma samples of consenting participants and provides a valuable framework for nested observational and interventional studies.

Participants

VICONEL captures routine viral load test results alongside associated demographic and treatment information among people in care for HIV in Lesotho, southern Africa. As of December 2023, it encompasses all viral load testing from 24 healthcare facilities in two districts of Lesotho.

Findings to date<

SUBMITTER: Brown JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11800222 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature