At the date of censoring, the Kaplan-Meier estimates of the proportion of patients still on the programme were 82%, 86% and 91%, and the proportion who were virally suppressed (< 400 copies/ml) were 100%, 92% and 98% for the 2002, 20 cohorts respectively. The number of counsellors increased from 6 to 28 and the median number of clients allocated to each counsellor increased from 13 to 33. The median CD4 cell counts were 84 cells/microl (interquartile range (IQR) 42-139), 89 cells/microl (IQR 490-149), and 110 cells/microl (IQR 55-172), and the proportions of patients with World Health Organization (WHO) clinical stages 3 and 4 were 90%, 79% and 76% in each sequential year respectively.

Community-based counsellors provided adherence and programme support.ĭuring the study period 1139 ART-naïve patients received ART (161, 280 and 698 in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd years respectively). Viral load and CD4 counts were monitored at 4-monthly intervals. Data were collected prospectively from establishment of services in October 2002 to the censoring date in September 2005. We compared mortality, viral suppression and programme retention in 3 consecutive years of a public sector community-based ART clinic in a South African township.

Despite rapid expansion of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in sub-Saharan Africa there are few longitudinal data describing programme performance during rapid scale-up.

Guguletu township south africa