HIV and TB Overview: Côte d'Ivoire

Background

CDC’s partnership with Côte d’Ivoire began in 1987 with the establishment of a field station in Abidjan. This marked the launch of the Retrovirus Côte d’Ivoire (CDC Retro-CI) project - developed to study the then emerging HIV epidemic. The partnership expanded with the start of PEPFAR in 2004. Through PEPFAR, CDC began providing enhanced support to the country’s Ministry of Health & Public Hygiene and other HIV service providers.

CDC continues to support national efforts around HIV prevention and increase awareness of the importance of antiretroviral treatment (ART). This includes intensified HIV testing efforts focused on men, children, and key populations who are at greater risk for HIV infection. CDC also supports expanded viral load testing, early infant diagnosis, and scale-up of tuberculosis testing and treatment.

HIV and TB key data

HIV/AIDS

Tuberculosis (TB)

Key activities and accomplishments

HIV prevention and treatment

CDC experts support national efforts to deliver high-quality, client centered HIV prevention, care, and treatment services. CDC is intensifying HIV testing efforts for men, children, and key populations and increasing testing coverage among women. CDC also enhanced its partner management processes to provide adequate site-level technical assistance for improved program outcomes.

CDC’s partners support integrated health services to reach men and children by scaling up safe and ethical index testing services. Partners also optimized provider-initiated testing and counseling services. In addition, the country has prioritized services in specific health districts, representing more than 87 percent of the HIV burden.

CDC's support has led to dramatic increases in treatment rates. 96 percent of adult ART patients are taking Tenofovir-Lamivudine-Dolutegravir (TLD), and 98 percent of children on ART are taking pediatric Dolutegravir (pDTG). These transitions are accelerating progress toward long-term viral suppression.

Laboratory systems and networks

CDC helped expand HIV viral load testing and early infant diagnosis to every health region. CDC experts supported the creation of regional health labs to ensure better access to HIV testing services. CDC Retro-CI is certified as a WHO pre-qualification site for HIV molecular diagnostics - the first such laboratory in West Africa.

With support from CDC, Côte d'Ivoire created an external quality control program for over 3,000 HIV testing sites in the country. CDC and the Global Fund support diagnostic networks to ensure laboratories have the capacity for HIV prevention, care, and treatment services.

Strengthening public health systems

CDC is building public health capacity in Côte d’Ivoire to coordinate and deliver quality HIV prevention and treatment services nationwide. These systems include:

• TB diagnosis and treatment.
• HIV testing services.
• Prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission.
• Prevention among key and priority populations.
• The DREAMS program.
• Care for orphans and vulnerable children.
• And reduction of stigma and discrimination.

CDC is also building capacity among civil society for delivering quality services through community-led monitoring.

With CDC's support, Côte d’Ivoire became the first country in West Africa to participate in Project ECHO. The platform has played a critical role in supporting virtual trainings for health providers especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Strategic information

CDC provides technical assistance to the Ivoirian health ministry and local partners to enhance data quality and use for decision-making. CDC has been essential in developing and implementing a national data quality improvement plan.

Côte d'Ivoire is the first country in Francophone Africa to implement CDC’s Violence Against Children Survey.

Tuberculosis

Among people living with HIV in Côte d’Ivoire, TB is the number one cause of death. CDC is helping local clinics implement new approaches to identify, treat, and prevent TB. These methods include routine testing for co-infection whenever someone tests positive for HIV or TB. They also include closely monitoring patients with co-infections to achieve viral suppression and successful TB treatment outcomes.

Resources

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