Mozambique

The Accelerating Patient Access to Optimal Antiretrovirals and Relevant Health Products via a sub-agreement with CHAI (Project Optimal) is a follow-up to the Unitaid-funded SPAAN Project (August 2019 – July 2020). SPAAN streamlined and accelerated the introduction of new, child-friendly ARV formulations by focusing on plans for solid formulations of LPV/r and the DTG 50 mg tablet, as well as future plans to introduce DTG dispersible formulations. Building on the success of that project, Project Optimal aims to (1) streamline and accelerate the transition to WHO-recommended optimal pediatric ARV formulations, focusing on DTG 10mg dispersible tablets and LPV/r solid formulation’s, (2) strengthen information, supply chain, service delivery, and pharmacovigilance systems for pediatric ARVs, and (3) strengthen differentiated service delivery models of care for children, focusing on multi-month dispensing (MMD) and facility-based, family-centered models that include children < 5 years of age.

Funded by CHAI

This is a CDC funded project, through implementing partner, FGH, which implements infection prevention and control (IPC) activities in Gaza and Inhambane provinces. The aim of the project is to control the spread of COVID-19 though the provision of supplies needed, including tablets, internet connection, phone credit and zoom licenses; IPC products (masks, shields, hygeiene kits); small renovations to health facilities to ensure infection control; informational materials to convey COVID-19 risk reduction to general populations; and support for supervision and sample transportation of COVID-19 tests.

This ViiV Healthcare Positive Action for Adolescents-funded project aims to improve the long-term health outcomes of adolescents (ages 10-19) and young adults (ages 20-24) living with HIV. The project promotes meaningful involvement of adolescents and young people in HIV prevention and care and treatment programs, while increasing capacity of health care workers in the provision of these services to this specific population. The project also supports schools to be HIV responsive - strengthening bidirectional referrals between health facilities and educational environments.

With funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), EGPAF implemented the eight‐year Call to Action (CTA) project in 12 countries, including Mozambique (from 2004 through 2009).

Despite improvements in HIV pediatric care and treatment programs in Mozambique, engagement and retention of HIV-exposed and HIV-infected children in these services remain challenging. To explore the reasons behind these challenges, EGPAF conducted a qualitative study in August 2011 – January 2012 to identify barriers to HIV testing, enrollment into care, and follow-up services for HIV-exposed children in Mozambique.

This study evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of introduction of three POC technologies for diagnosis of syphilis, hemoglobin, and CD4+ T-lymphocyte enumeration within the mother-to-child services.

Project HEART was launched in 2004 in Côte d’Ivoire, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia, and in 2006 in Mozambique. This eight-year project, funded through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) saw dramatic results.

Under this agreement, UNICEF provided funding to expand HIV services to four additional districts in Cabo Delgado, and while these districts were eventually included in EGPAF’s flagship Project HEART program, UNICEF continued to provide integrated technical support tailored to the needs of the province. Activities implemented with UNICEF funds focused on building capacity within the Provincial Health Directorate (DPS) to both manage and scale up clinical services, with particular emphasis on prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) and pediatric care and treatment services.

EGPAF strengthened nutritional and psychosocial support for HIV-infected children and their caregivers through technical support and training at the site and district levels. Once HIV services in Cabo Delgado also were funded by PEPFAR, UNICEF continued to fund certain distinct activities with the following specific objectives:

• Improving follow-up of HIV-exposed and HIV-infected infants and young children;
• Improving access to quality HIV care and treatment services for HIV-infected infants and children;
• Improving access to psychosocial support for children in care and treatment and their caregivers.

By project end, the results of supported services in Cabo Delgado included:

• The cumulative number of patients enrolled in care since the beginning of the program is 20,507, of which 1,274 were children (6.2%);
• A total of 7,907 persons initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART), of which 460 (5.8%) were children;
• In the 11 health facilities where EGPAF supported PMTCT services, a total of 337,176 pregnant women were counseled in antenatal care and of those 261,181 (77.5%) were tested.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded this project, which was designed to expand access to prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) services in 10 countries including Mozambique to allow EGPAF to fill critical gaps, ensure continued service delivery in resource-limited countries, and leverage other donor resources to increase access to PMTCT services.

The goal of this project was to build organizational and management capacity (including human resources management, planning, and financial management) in order to provide comprehensive HIV prevention, care, and treatment services within a strengthened health system in four provinces.

Through EGPAF’s CDC-funded Project DELTA, this assignment, building upon existing tuberculosis (TB)/HIV activities being conducted in Mozambique, aims to design and pilot an approach to improve case detection and management of TB and HIV among adults and children by strengthening contact tracing and follow-up for people residing in the households of someone with active TB disease.

Through Project ESCALA, EGPAF supports the government of Mozambique to achieve epidemic control by building capacity at all levels of the health system for the delivery of sustainable models of facility-and community-based HIV and TB services along the continuum of care.