Resumo

VAN VOLLENHOVEN, Hendrike et al. Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on early infant diagnosis of HIV in Cape Town, South Africa. South. Afr. j. HIV med. (Online) [online]. 2024, vol.25, n.1, pp.1-8. ISSN 2078-6751.  https://doi.org/10.4102/sajhivmed.v25i1.1542.

BACKGROUND: In South Africa, infants who are HIV-exposed are tested for HIV at birth and 10 weeks of age. The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown restrictions resulted in reduced access to healthcare services and uncertain impact on early infant HIV testing OBJECTIVES: To describe the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown restrictions on early infant HIV testing and diagnosis in Cape Town, South Africa METHOD: This retrospective cohort study compares HIV-exposed infants born during the first COVID-19 pandemic lockdown (2020) to those born in the same period the year before (2019). Laboratory and other data were abstracted from the Provincial Health Data Centre RESULTS: A total of 2888 infants were included: 1474 born in 2020 and 1413 in 2019. Compared to 2019, there was an increase in the 10-week HIV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) uptake in 2020 (71% vs. 60%, P < 0.001). There was also an increase in the proportion of infants who demised without 10-week testing or were lost to follow-up in 2020 compared to 2019 (8% vs. 5%, P = 0.017). Differences detected in birth HIV PCR positivity rates between the two groups (1.1% vs. 0.5%, P = 0.17) did not reach statistical significance; however, a significant increase in vertical transmission of HIV by 10 weeks old was found in the 2020 cohort (1.2% vs. 0.5%. P = 0.046 CONCLUSION: Vertical transmission of HIV at 10 weeks increased in the Cape Town Metropolitan during the initial COVID-19 lockdown. There was also an increase in the proportion of deaths without testing by 10 weeks in the 2020 group KEYWORDS: vertical transmission prevention; VTP; HIV; COVID-19; early infant diagnosis; vertical transmission; prevention of mother-to-child transmission; PMTCT

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