EpiC Semiannual Report (Q3-Q4 FY21 April – September 2021) - Nigeria

The project focuses on three main activities: supporting comprehensive HIV services, building capacity of a local entity, and preparing it to receive direct funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Activity 1 is implemented in The Global Fund transitioned sites in Lagos, Edo, and Bayelsa, while Activity 2 is implemented in two states: Akwa Ibom and Cross River, and Activity 3 is implemented in 16 states. In FY21 Q2-Q4, Activity 1 provided HIV testing services to 66,544 clients, identified 1,922 as HIV positive, and linked all to treatment. A total of 7,550 pregnant women were tested for HIV, and 239 were found HIV positive. The project achieved 88 percent viral load (VL) coverage and 95 percent VL suppression. Activity 2 provided HIV testing services to 308,141 people, identified 11,573 as people living with HIV (PLHIV), and linked all to treatment. A total of 183 HIV-positive pregnant women were newly identified from 27,089 pregnant women tested. The project achieved a 98 percent VL coverage and 99 percent VL suppression rate. The EpiC project also implemented various strategies to increase HIV case finding, including intensified implementation of HIV testing services (HTS) strategies, index case testing, recency testing services, and HIV self-testing (HIVST) services. The project surpassed both HTS_TST (117 percent) and HTS_TST_POS (144 percent) targets. A total of 66,544 individuals tested, of which 1,922 tested HIV positive (2.9 percent yield). The project also achieved a high rate of viral load suppression, with 88 percent of clients achieving viral load suppression. In addition to HIV testing services, the EpiC project implemented various prevention and treatment strategies, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT), and pediatric, adolescent, and youth HIV services. The project provided PrEP to 1,224 individuals, implemented PMTCT strategies to improve access to indicators such as PMTCT_STAT POS, PMTCT_ART, and EID, and implemented pediatric, adolescent, and youth HIV services to increase case finding among subpopulations. The EpiC project also built capacity of a local entity, UCS Global Resources, to establish and equip a fully-functional Epidemic Control center (EC3) to provide comprehensive HIV services, including gender-related services via toll-free telephone calls and Short Message Services (SMS) to clients across 16 USAID-supported states. The project also worked to develop UCS's capacity in readiness to receive direct funding to meet the PEPFAR goal of ensuring 70 percent of funding to local partners. The EpiC project achieved significant results in FY21 Q2-Q4, including surpassing HTS targets, achieving high rates of viral load suppression, and implementing various prevention and treatment strategies. The project's focus on building capacity of local entities and preparing them to receive direct funding from USAID will help to ensure sustainability of HIV services in Nigeria.