Q&A with Dr Ahmad Haeri Mazanderani: HIV viral load monitoring in South Africa
Dr Ahmad Haeri Mazanderani
Dr Ahmad Haeri Mazanderani, lead author of the policy brief, “Trends in HIV Viral Load monitoring in the South African National HIV Treatment programme between 2019 and 2025,” explains how this study came about and his role in it.
What is this article about?
The article is about HIV VL monitoring trends within South Africa’s public health sector between 2019 and 2025. This analysis was done as a means of gauging the country’s progress towards achieving UNAIDS targets for 2030 regarding patients receiving antiretroviral therapy and achieving virological suppression.
Why does this matter?
South Africa has the largest HIV programme in the world, which requires continuous monitoring, evaluation and reporting. As the sole provider of clinical laboratory services to the public health sector, the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) plays a critical role in service delivery and programme monitoring. Data from the NHLS suggests that, whereas South Africa’s HIV viral suppression rates have consistently improved over the years, renewed emphasis on HIV testing, linkage to care, and retention of new and disengaged patients will be essential if South Africa is to achieve the UN 95-95-95 targets by 2030.
How did this article come about?
The Centre for HIV & STIs at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the NHLS, supports the Department of Health with programme data analysis and reporting.
What was your role in the development of this article?
Project lead, providing oversight and critical review.
Why should people read this article?
This article provides the most recent update regarding HIV VL testing volumes and suppression rates within South Africa’s national HIV programme as reported by the NICD.
What impact do you hope this article will have on public health policy and healthcare access?
Whereas this article highlights continuous progress in national HIV viral suppression rates, it also raises concern regarding stagnation in HIV viral load testing volumes. It is hoped that this article will highlight the need for further investigation into strategies to expand viral load testing services.
Dr Ahmad Haeri Mazanderani is a clinical virologist at the Centre for HIV and STI at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases.
For a more in-depth look into this captivating policy brief, download the full article below.