As defaulting among ART clients re-mains a challenge due to various factors like migration to South Africa and the nature of infrastructure that causes long waiting time at ART clinic, the Lighthouse Trust with funding from PEPFAR through CDC is working in 13 of the 26 public health facilities in Mzimba South District to support retention in care.
Comparing Quarter 3 and 4 of 2021 the retention initiative is notably yielding positive results as clearly demonstrated by the outcome of 4 PEPFAR supported facilities namely Manyamula, Endindeni, Bulala and Katete which have successfully brought back to care a total of 66 clients in Quarter 4.
The representative for Mzimba South ART Coordinator Joel Mkandawire presented the updated report from his district to a stakeholders meeting organized by the Network of Journalists Living with HIV (JONEHA) on 24 February 2022 in Salima. He said the notable successes in those 4 facilities were due to effective implementation of the strategies that among others included: Nurse Led Community ART Program which is working hand in hand with support groups in the formation of outreach clinics.
Mkandawire added that establishment of a welcome back to care culture among healthcare workers, scaling up of multi-month ART dispensing, creation of friendly clinics like those involving young people have also contributed to the success of the four facilities.
Since 2020 JONEHA has been implementing Community Led Monitoring (CLM) project which empowers communities to monitor quality of health services in 5 of the 11 PEPFAR scale up districts of Mulanje, Mangochi, Chiradzulu, Mzimba South and Phalombe with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through AVAC under the COM-PASS Africa Initiative.
Explaining further on the Welcome Back Culture, Mkandawire said the initiative applies a 4D formula in which the first D talks of Deflating fear while the second D is about Discussing reasons for interrupting treatment and the third D is on Directing clients to appropriate services and the fourth D is on Decorating clients for remaining in care.
It is scientifically proven that non-adherence to treatment reduces the immunological benefits of ARVs which predisposes clients to opportunistic infections, increases both the risk of drug resistance and HIV trans-mission. It is for this reason that U=U is being advocated for. U=U stands for Undetectable = Un-transmittable. It means when a person living with HIV is adhering to treatment; it lowers the volume of viruses in his/her body to undetectable levels, thereby achieving a zero risk of passing on HIV to their partners. The low level of virus in a person taking antiretroviral therapy (ARV) is described as an undetectable viral load; one of the desired outcomes of modern optimal treatment.
