New PHIA Survey Data Released Today

Show Critical Progress Toward Global HIV Targets in Three Sub-Saharan African Countries

Today, on World AIDS Day, PEPFAR, CDC, and ICAP at Columbia University released new Population-based HIV Impact Assessments (PHIAs), which show that country, global, and U.S.-supported HIV efforts have made critical progress toward achieving an AIDS-free generation. PHIAs are the first household surveys to directly measure national HIV incidence, pediatric HIV prevalence, HIV viral load suppression, and use of services in specific countries – which together provide the sharpest picture to date of the HIV epidemics in specific countries, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Under the leadership of each country’s Ministry of Health, survey teams are implementing these surveys in 13 PEPFAR-supported countries. The results of new Population HIV Impact Assessments in Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Zambia suggest these countries are making tremendous progress towards achieving epidemic control: confirming estimated reductions in incidence from 2003 to 2015, measuring high population viral load suppression (67 percent of adults living with HIV in Malawi are virally suppressed, compared to 60 percent of adults living with HIV in Zimbabwe, and 59 percent of adults living with HIV in Zambia), and demonstrating that persons who report knowing they are HIV-positive are likely to be accessing treatment with successful viral load suppression.

These surveys validate what the public health community has only previously been able to predict in models – that global HIV efforts are accelerating country progress toward achieving epidemic control. They also shine a light on the specific populations that need greater attention and services to meet their needs. The PHIAs not only provides critical information on the state of the HIV epidemic but will also help shape future HIV policies and programs.

Read more about the today’s new PHIA findings in PEPFAR’s press release and fact sheet.

PHIA Surveys: Stories from the Field

CDC’s Division of Global HIV & TB (DGHT) is playing a key role in providing technical and scientific expertise to our country partners in creating and implementing the PHIA surveys. As countries implement PHIA surveys, they are taking a number of different approaches. Following are brief profiles highlighting the various ways Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Zambia brought the PHIA surveys to communities nationwide.

World AIDS Day 2016: Message from CDC Leadership

In other World AIDS Day news, CDC’s DGHT Director, Shannon Hader, MD, MPH, shares in a blog on AIDS.gov how CDC is using innovation to turn the tide on the HIV epidemic globally.

CDC’s Center for Global Health Director, Rebecca Martin, PhD, and Dr. Hader also penned a Dear Colleague Letter on how global efforts have made strong progress towards ending AIDS by 2030.

Resources

CDC’s efforts in support of the PHIA surveys are just one part of the agency’s broader efforts, through PEPFAR, to ensure people with HIV know their status, are linked to treatment, and become virally suppressed. The ultimate goal is to prevent new infections and save more lives. To learn more about how CDC is leveraging the power of data to support countries in reaching 90-90-90 targets, see the following resources: