Curt G. Beckwith

Guidelines for improving entry into and retention in care and antiretroviral adherence for persons with HIV: evidence-based recommendations from an International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care panel

DESCRIPTION After HIV diagnosis, timely entry into HIV medical care and retention in that care are essential to the provision of effective antiretroviral therapy (ART). Adherence to ART is among the key determinants of successful HIV treatment outcome and is essential to minimize the emergence of drug resistance. The International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care convened a panel to develop evidence-based recommendations to optimize entry into and retention in care and ART adherence for people with HIV. METHODS A systematic literature search was conducted to produce an evidence base restricted to randomized, controlled trials and observational studies with comparators that had at least 1 measured biological or behavioral end point. A total of 325 studies met the criteria. Two reviewers independently extracted and coded data from each study using a standardized data extraction form. Panel members drafted recommendations based on the body of evidence for each method or intervention and then graded the overall quality of the body of evidence and the strength for each recommendation. RECOMMENDATIONS Recommendations are provided for monitoring entry into and retention in care, interventions to improve entry and retention, and monitoring of and interventions to improve ART adherence. Recommendations cover ART strategies, adherence tools, education and counseling, and health system and service delivery interventions. In addition, they cover specific issues pertaining to pregnant women, incarcerated individuals, homeless and marginally housed individuals, and children and adolescents, as well as substance use and mental health disorders. Recommendations for future research in all areas are also provided.

Incidence and prevalence of hepatitis C in prisons and other closed settings: Results of a systematic review and meta‐analysis

People detained in prisons and other closed settings are at elevated risk of infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV). We undertook a systematic review and meta‐analysis with the aim of determining the rate of incident HCV infection and the prevalence of anti‐HCV among detainees in closed settings. We systematically searched databases of peer‐reviewed literature and widely distributed a call for unpublished data. We calculated summary estimates of incidence and prevalence among general population detainees and detainees with a history of injection drug use (IDU), and explored heterogeneity through stratification and meta‐regression. The summary prevalence estimates were used to estimate the number of anti‐HCV positive prisoners globally. HCV incidence among general detainees was 1.4 per 100 person‐years (py; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.1, 2.7; k = 4), and 16.4 per 100 py (95% CI: 0.8, 32.1; k = 3) among detainees with a history of IDU. The summary prevalence estimate of anti‐HCV in general detainees was 26% (95% CI: 23%, 29%; k = 93), and in detainees with a history of IDU, 64% (95% CI: 58%, 70%; k = 51). The regions of highest prevalence were Central Asia (38%; 95% CI 32%, 43%; k = 1) and Australasia (35%; 95% CI: 28%, 43%; k = 9). We estimate that 2.2 million (range: 1.4‐2.9 million) detainees globally are anti‐HCV positive, with the largest populations in North America (668,500; range: 553,500‐784,000) and East and Southeast Asia (638,000; range: 332,000‐970,000). Conclusion: HCV is a significant concern in detained populations, with one in four detainees anti‐HCV‐positive. Epidemiological data on the extent of HCV infection in detained populations is lacking in many countries. Greater attention towards prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of HCV infection among detained populations is urgently required. (Hepatology 2013;58:1215–1224)

It Is Time to Implement Routine, Not Risk-Based, HIV Testing

Approximately one-quarter of a million persons in the United States who are infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) do not know it. To decrease the number of such persons, primary care providers should make HIV testing a routine component of health care. HIV testing should also be offered routinely in other settings, such as emergency departments, jails, and substance abuse treatment centers. Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Infectious Diseases Society of America recommend routine HIV testing only in settings where the prevalence of HIV infection is > or =1%; in settings where the prevalence of HIV infection is <1%, testing should be based on risk assessment. Because of the impracticality of strategies for testing that are based on estimates of prevalence, and because of the inaccuracy of risk assessment, we propose that HIV testing be routinely offered to any person who is sexually active. As an adjunct to the implementation of routine testing programs, counseling practices need to be streamlined, and rapid HIV testing needs to be implemented in the appropriate settings.

Opportunities to Diagnose, Treat, and Prevent HIV in the Criminal Justice System

Persons involved with the criminal justice system are at risk for HIV and other transmissible diseases due to substance use and related risk behaviors. Incarceration provides a public health opportunity to test for HIV, viral hepatitis, and other sexually transmitted infections, provide treatment such as highly active antiretroviral therapy, and link infected persons to longitudinal comprehensive HIV care upon their release for such comorbidities as addiction and mental illness. Delivering health interventions inside prisons and jails can be challenging, yet the challenges pale in comparison to the benefits of interventions for inmates and their communities. This article reviews the current state of delivering HIV testing, prevention, treatment, and transition services to incarcerated populations in the United States. It concludes with summary recommendations for research and practice to improve the health of inmates and their communities.

Linkage to Treatment and Supportive Services Among HIV-Positive Ex-Offenders in Project Bridge

HIV-positive inmates often have histories of substance use, mental illness, and homelessness. Access to supportive services is important for members of this population upon their release from prison to improve continuity of medical care in the community. This paper briefly reviews Project Bridge, a federally funded demonstration project that provided intensive case management for HIV positive ex-offenders. Methods. Ex-offenders received 18 months of intensive case management by teams of a professional social worker and an outreach worker between May 2003 and December 2005. Client contacts were weekly for 12 weeks and, at a minimum, monthly thereafter. Results. Most clients (95%) received medical care throughout their enrollment. Of all clients in Project Bridge, 45.8% secured housing, 71% were linked to mental health care, and 51% were linked to addiction services. Conclusion. Despite high levels of addiction (97%) and mental health disorders (34% on medication), ex-offenders were retained in health care for a year after being released from incarceration.

Strategies to enhance linkages between care for HIV/AIDS in jail and community settings

Abstract The policies of mass incarceration and the expansion of the criminal justice system in the USA over the last 40 years have weighed heavily on individuals and communities impacted by drug use and HIV disease. Though less than ideal, jails provide a unique opportunity to diagnose, treat and implement effective interventions. The role of jails in HIV detection, treatment, and continuity of care, however, has yet to be systematically examined. This paper reviews the service strategies and contexts for 10 demonstration sites funded to develop innovative methods for providing care and treatment to HIV-infected individuals in jail settings who are returning to their communities. The sites have implemented varied intervention strategies; each set in unique policy and service system contexts. Collaboration among agencies and between systems to implement these interventions is viewed as particularly challenging undertakings. We anticipate the sites will collectively serve 700–1000 individuals across the duration of the initiative. In this paper, we review the service contexts and strategies developed by the 10 sites. The individual and multi-site evaluations aim to provide new data on testing, treatment, and community linkages from jails that will further develop our knowledge base on effective intervention strategies in these settings.

Low Perceived Risk and High HIV Prevalence Among a Predominantly African American Population Participating in Philadelphia's Rapid HIV Testing Program

African Americans are disproportionately infected with HIV/AIDS. Despite Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines recommending routine opt-out testing for HIV, most HIV screening is based on self-perceived HIV risks. Philadelphia launched a rapid HIV testing program in seven public health clinics in 2007. The program provides free rapid oral HIV tests to all patients presenting for health services who provide informed consent. We analyzed demographic, risk behavior, and HIV serostatus data collected during the program between September 2007 and January 2009. We used multivariable logistic regression to estimate the association between behavioral and demographic factors and newly diagnosed HIV infection. Of the 5871 individuals testing for HIV, 47% were male, 88% were African American, and the mean age was 34.7 years. Overall HIV prevalence was 1.1%. All positive tests represented new HIV diagnoses, and 72% of individuals reported testing previously. Approximately 90% of HIV-positive individuals and 92% of individuals with more than five recent sex partners never, or only sometimes, used condoms. Two thirds of individuals testing positive and 87% of individuals testing negative assessed their own HIV risk as zero or low. Individuals reporting cocaine use and ever having a same sex partner both had 2.6 times greater odds of testing positive. Condom use in this population was low, even among high-risk individuals. Philadelphias program successfully provided HIV testing to many underserved African Americans who underestimate their HIV risk. Our results nevertheless suggest greater efforts are needed to encourage more individuals to undergo HIV testing in Philadelphia, particularly those who have never tested.

Frequent Infection of Cerebellar Granule Cell Neurons by Polyomavirus JC in Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) occurs most often in immunosuppressed individuals. The lesions of PML result from astrocyte and oligodendrocyte infection by the polyomavirus JC (JCV); JCV has also been shown to infect and destroy cerebellar granule cell neurons (GCNs) in 2 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients. To determine the prevalence and pattern of JCV infection in GCNs, we immunostained formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded cerebellar samples from 40 HIV-positive and 3 HIV-negative PML patients for JCV, and glial and neuronal markers. The JCV infection was detected in 30 patients (70%); 28 (93%) of them had JCV-infected cells in the GC layer; JCV-infected GCNs were demonstrated in 15 (79%) of 19 tested cases. The JCV regulatory T antigen was expressed more frequently and abundantly in GCNs than JCV VP1 capsid protein. None of 37 HIV-negative controls but 1 (3%) of 35 HIV-positive subjects without PML had distinct foci of JCV-infected GCNs. Thus, JCV infection of GCNs is frequent in PML patients and may occur in the absence of cerebellar white matter demyelinating lesions. The predominance of Tantigen over VP1 expression in GCNs suggests that they may be the site of early or latent central nervous system JCV infection. These results indicate that infection of GCNs is an important, previously overlooked, aspect of JCV pathogenesis in immunosuppressed individuals.

Testing for HIV, sexually transmitted infections, and viral hepatitis in jails: still a missed opportunity for public health and HIV prevention.

Jails provide an underutilized public health opportunity for screening for HIV, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and viral hepatitis, and for such other infectious diseases as tuberculosis. Incarcerated individuals are more likely to be men, poor, persons of color, and at high risk for HIV. The vast majority of jails in the United States do not screen routinely for HIV or STIs, thereby missing an opportunity for HIV and STI diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Nesting HIV testing within STI testing and treatment in conjunction with testing and treatment for other infectious diseases, as appropriate based on community prevalence, provides a public health opportunity and will enhance HIV prevention. HIV testing and linkage to care, both within corrections and in the community, comprise an important component of the “seek and treat” strategy to further prevent HIV infection. Jail-based screening of infectious diseases, especially for HIV and STIs, in conjunction with treatment and linkage to community care has thus far been a neglected component of HIV prevention among high-risk communities.

Linking HIV-positive Jail Inmates to Treatment, Care, and Social Services After Release: Results from a Qualitative Assessment of the COMPASS Program

Approximately 17% of individuals living with HIV/AIDS pass through the correctional system each year. Jails provide a unique opportunity to diagnose and treat HIV infection among high-risk, transient populations with limited access to medical services. In 2007, the US Health Resources and Services Administration funded a multi-site demonstration project entitled Enhancing Linkages to HIV Primary Care in Jail Settings that aims to improve diagnosis and treatment services for HIV-positive jail detainees and link them to community-based medical care and social services upon release. We performed an evaluation of the Rhode Island demonstration site entitled Community Partnerships and Supportive Services for HIV-Infected People Leaving Jail (COMPASS). Through in-depth qualitative interviews among 20 HIV-positive COMPASS participants in Rhode Island, we assessed how COMPASS impacted access to health care and social services utilization. Most individuals were receiving HIV treatment and care services upon enrollment, but COMPASS enhanced linkage to medical care and follow-up visits for HIV and other co-morbidities for most participants. Several participants were successfully linked to new medical services as a result of COMPASS, including one individual newly diagnosed with HIV and another who had been living with HIV for many years and was able to commence highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). While many individuals reported that COMPASS support prevented substance abuse relapse, ongoing substance abuse nevertheless remained a challenge for several participants. Most participants enrolled in one or more new social services as a result of COMPASS, including Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income, food assistance, and housing programs. The primary unmet needs of COMPASS participants were access to mental health services and stable housing. Intensive case management of HIV-positive jail detainees enhances access to medical and social support services and helps prevent relapse to substance abuse. Expanding intensive case management programs, public housing, and mental health services for recently released HIV-positive detainees should be public health priorities.