Progress towards World Health Organization HIV Infection 95-95-95 measures in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Infectious Diseases
• HIV/AIDS Research

Background:

• The Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) HIV program offers comprehensive care to all persons living with HIV (PLWH).
• Progress towards UNAIDS 95-95-95 goals in NL has not been previously documented.
• Understanding engagement in HIV care and virologic outcomes is crucial for program evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe engagement in HIV care and virologic outcomes for the NL cohort in 2016 and 2019.
• To compare NL cohort data with the Canadian HIV Observational Cohort (CANOC).
• To assess progress towards UNAIDS 95-95-95 goals within the NL HIV program.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of the NL HIV clinic data for adults aged over 18 years.
• Descriptive statistics used for demographics, risk factors, and clinical variables.
• Statistical comparison using chi-squared or Fisher's Exact test for categorical data and Wilcoxon Sum Rank test for continuous data.

Main Results:

• High engagement in HIV care and virologic outcomes observed in the NL cohort between 2016 and 2019.
• > 98% of PLWH were on antiretroviral therapy (ART).
• > 96% of PLWH achieved viral load suppression, comparing favorably to the national CANOC cohort.

Conclusions:

• The HIV program in Newfoundland and Labrador demonstrates high engagement in care and excellent virologic outcomes.
• PLWH in NL consistently achieve high rates of antiretroviral therapy and viral suppression.
• These findings suggest the NL HIV program is highly effective and performs favorably compared to national benchmarks.