Human Immunodeficiency Virus Viral Load Monitoring and Rate of Virologic Suppression Among Patients Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy in Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2013–2020

Abstract

Abstract Background Antiretroviral therapy (ART) expansion and viral load as a treatment monitoring approach have increased the demand for viral load testing. Many hurdles affect the coverage, quality, and use of viral load results. Estimates of viral load monitoring and viral suppression rates are needed to assess the performance of ART programs and improve human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) management outcomes. Methods People with HIV (PWH) viral load monitoring data were routinely collected in 84 health facilities in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), between 2013 and 2020. The number of PWH under ART, the number of participants with at least 1 viral load test result, the rate of viral suppression (defined as ≤1000 HIV ribonucleic acid copies per mL), and the mean turnaround time from sample collection to release of viral load test results were collected together with clinical data. Results A total of 14 057 PWH were included in the analysis. People with HIV were mainly enrolled after the “test and treat” implementation. The patients were followed for a median period of 27 months. The proportion of PWH with at least 1 available viral load largely increased in recent years. The delay from sample collection to release of viral load test results decreased overtime, from 35 days in 2018 to 16 days in 2020. Pregnancy and advanced HIV disease were associated with a lower chance of viral suppression. Conclusions There has been considerable success in increasing viral load access for all PWH under therapy in DRC. Nevertheless, viral load testing should be intensified with a particular effort to be made in groups at higher risk of viral failure.