Targeting the HIV Epidemic in South Africa: The Need for Testing and Linkage to Care in Emergency Departments.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The Eastern Cape province of South Africa has one of the highest burdens of HIV in the world. Emergency Departments (EDs) can serve as optimal clinical sites for the identification of new HIV infections and entry into care. We sought to determine the current burden of HIV disease among ED patients in the Eastern Cape.

Methods

We conducted a prospective cross-sectional observational study in the EDs of three Hospitals in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa from June 2017 to July 2018. All adult, non-critical patients presenting to the ED were systematically approached and offered a Point-Of-Care (POC) HIV test in accordance with South African guidelines. All HIV-positive individuals had their blood tested for the presence of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and t

SUBMITTER: Hansoti B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6833451 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature