Skip to main content

PreVAIL Presented at CROI 2024 Conference

April 12, 2024 | Jennifer Gonzales

Dr. Cassidy Claassen attended the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections - CROI 2024 showing early results of PrEP Uptake and Persistence among Incarcerated People in Zambia study.

In response to the heightened vulnerability to HIV transmission in correctional facilities, particularly in low to middle-income countries (LMICs), a novel initiative was launched last year to introduce HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) within Zambian prisons. While this initiative marked a significant advancement, a critical gap remains: the lack of comprehensive data on how to effectively implement and sustain PrEP uptake among incarcerated individuals. 

The Prison PrEP Values, Adherence, and Implementation (PreVAIL) study was developed to address these knowledge gaps surrounding HIV prevention among justice-involved populations. Representing a collaborative effort between UMB, CIDRZ, and Zambia Correctional Services, PreVAIL is one of the first studies observational studies on PrEP uptake, persistence, and adherence among incarcerated persons.  The study aims to optimize PrEP delivery both during and after incarceration.  

PreVAIL employs a mixed-methods research approach, combining quantitative analysis with qualitative insights to comprehensively evaluate PrEP uptake rates, adherence levels, and persistence rates among justice-involved individuals living with HIV in Zambia. PreVAIL seeks to understand and enhance HIV prevention methods within correctional facilities.  

Initial results from the PreVAIL study were presented at the 2024 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) 2024, the leading international conference for advancements in HIV and AIDS research.  

At the time of presentation, almost 500 incarcerated persons consented and enrolled in the study, and 50% of those individuals chose to initiate PrEP. PreVAIL study participants who had heard of PrEP were more likely to initiate, and 82% of those who initiated PrEP at enrollment and had completed a one-month follow-up visit were still on PrEP. As qualitative interviews with participants are conducted and further follow-up visits continue, the early result from PreVAIL suggest high demand for PrEP among incarcerated persons in Zambia.  

Contact

Jennifer Gonzales
Communications and Public Relations Manager
Jennifer.Gonzales@ihv.umaryland.edu

Related stories

    Wednesday, July 17, 2024

    The ZENITH Initiative -  Empowering Zambia  

    The Zambia Education Network for Implementation Science Training in Health (ZENITH), a research training collaboration between the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka and the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB), is an educational program designed to provide short-, medium-, and long-term implementation science capacity in Zambia. The aim of ZENITH is to prepare Zambian professionals with research skills and knowledge to develop HIV service delivery innovations for key and vulnerable populations to help Zambia achieve sustained HIV epidemic control.    


    Wednesday, January 24, 2024

    Empowering Zambian Health Professionals through the ZENITH Implementation Science Institute

    The Zambia Education Network for Implementation Science Training in Health (ZENITH) marked a significant milestone with the successful launch of the Implementation Science Institute (ISI) in Lusaka.


    Tuesday, February 07, 2023

    HIV Treatment and Prevention in Zambian Prisons May be Model for Prisons Worldwide

    A recent study performed in Zambia by University of Maryland School of Medicine’s (UMSOM) Institute of Human Virology researchers found that high uptake of HIV preventative medicine, known as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), is possible in prison populations with adequate resources and support from the criminal justice health system.


    Tuesday, September 20, 2022

    National HIV Testing, Counselling, and Treatment Day in Zambia

    Zambia remains one of the countries that the HIV and AIDS epidemic hard hit. These factors necessitate spreading awareness of the importance of testing and treatment among Zambians.


    Tuesday, May 03, 2022

    Combating Gender-based Violence in Zambia

    Across three districts, 110 mentors were trained through CIHEB-Zambia’s partnership with the Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored and Safe (DREAMS).


    Friday, November 19, 2021

    Ciheb Helps Author First Antibiotics Guidelines for a Zambian Hospital

    Ciheb and the University of Maryland, Baltimore, in conjunction with University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia, have created the UTH antibiotics guidelines, the first of its kind for a health facility in Zambia.


    Friday, October 29, 2021

    PrEP used in the fight to end HIV in Kenya

    In 2017, the Government of Kenya adopted a new policy called “A Framework for Pre-exposure Prophylaxis of IV in Kenya.” This framework directed the roll out of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in Kenya, addressing the key focus areas of: availability, acceptability, accessibility of PrEP, and the holistic integration into the national HIV combination prevention strategy. To align with the government, Ciheb in Kenya’s PACT Endeleza program, which recently ended, also started offering PrEP that same year.


    Monday, September 27, 2021

    Bummhi Assists National Rollout of PrEP in Botswana

    Bummhi — Ciheb’s local partner in Botswana — has made key contributions to the introduction, rollout, and scale up of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) on a national level to help achieve the UNAIDS 90-90-90 HIV targets more quickly. The rollout process began in 2015 but significantly increased in the last year.


    Monday, August 30, 2021

    ZAMPHIA Prepares to Restart After Election Pause

    After a one month pause, the Zambia Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (ZAMPHIA) is prepared to restart field data collection in September. The survey now enters its final stage of field work following a break in August for the 2021 Zambian general elections.


    Tuesday, June 08, 2021

    ZAMPHIA Survey Begins Fieldwork

    The Zambia Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment (ZAMPHIA) is now underway! The survey was originally scheduled to take place in 2020 but was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that COVID-19 in Zambia has improved, the Government of Zambia, in partnership with Ciheb and others, is moving forward with the relaunch of this PEPFAR-funded assessment and have put in place all necessary safety measures to protect staff and participants. ZAMPHIA is the second ever population-based HIV impact assessment performed in Zambia.


    Thursday, May 27, 2021

    ZAMPHIA Survey Prepares to Relaunch in Zambia

    The Zambia Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment (ZAMPHIA) is preparing to recommence fieldwork at the beginning of May, and staff and communities are being mobilized in anticipation of the relaunch.