The Kabeho Study: Kigali Antiretroviral and Breastfeeding Assessment for the Elimination of HIV

Overview

This USAID-funded study aimed to determine 24-month HIV-free survival in a cohort of children born to approximately 600 HIV-positive pregnant women in Rwanda. The study examined factors associated with infant nutritional outcomes and ART adherence among study women and their HIV-exposed children. It also documented birth outcomes among study infants exposed to triple drug ART regimens in utero. The study utilized a prospective observational cohort design and collected individual and facility data through a mixed methods approach to determine clinical outcomes, assess implementation successes and challenges, and gather recommendations for program improvement.

Data Collection Period: April 2013 – May 2016

1. Findings presented at the 20th International AIDS Conference, July 2014: “Promising adherence results in the context of lifelong ART implementation in the Kabeho study in Kigali, Rwanda“
2. Findings presented at the 22nd Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, February 2015: “Maternal Viral Load in the Context of PMTCT B+ Within the Kabeho Study in Kigali“
3. Findings presented at the 8th International AIDS Society Conference, July 2015: “HIV-free survival at six weeks in a cohort of children born to HIV-positive mothers enrolled in Option B+ in Kigali: the Kabeho study“
4. Findings presented at the 21st International AIDS Conference, July 2016: “Results from the Kigali Antiretroviral and Breastfeeding Assessment for the Elimination of HIV (Kabeho) Study”
5. Findings presented at the 21st International AIDS Conference, July 2016: “Exclusive breastfeeding among HIV-positive mothers receiving lifelong ART from PMTCT clinics in Kigali, Rwanda“
6. Findings presented at the 21st International AIDS Conference, July 2016: “Retention-in-care from delivery through 18 months postpartum among HIV-positive mothers receiving lifelong ART in Kigali, Rwanda“
7. Findings published in PLOS ONE, December 2016: “Detectable Viral Load in Late Pregnancy among Women in the Rwanda Option B+ PMTCT Program: Enrollment Results from the Kabeho Study“
8. Findings presented at the Human Biology Association Meeting, April 2017: “Determinants of Growth Trajectories in HIV-exposed and Uninfected Infants”
9. Findings published in AIDS Patient Care and STDs, April 2017: “Understanding Antiretroviral Treatment Adherence Among HIV-Positive Women at Four Postpartum Time Intervals: Qualitative Results from the Kabeho Study in Rwanda“
10. Findings published in Medicine, December 2017: “24-month HIV-free survival among infants born to HIV-positive women enrolled in Option B+ program in Kigali, Rwanda“
11. Findings published in Maternal and Child Nutrition, January 2019: “Determinants of growth in HIV-exposed and HIV-uninfected infants in the Kabeho Study“
12. Findings presented at the 23rd International AIDS Conference, July 2020: “Individual and facility-level factors associated with interruption in HIV care and treatment among pregnant and postpartum women in the Kabeho Study in Kigali, Rwanda“
13. Findings presented at the 23rd International AIDS Conference, July 2020: “Interruption patterns in HIV clinic visits and treatment failure among pregnant and postpartum women in the Kabeho Study in Kigali, Rwanda“
14. Paper published in Journal of AIDS and HIV Treatement, October 2023: “A Longitudinal Assessment of Interruptions in HIV Clinic Visits and Virologic Failure among Pregnant and Postpartum Women in the Kabeho Study”