HIV testing in resource-limited settings
Grant Value

US$ 28,696,023

Time frame

2012-2017

Lead Grantee

Médecins Sans Frontières

Program Area
HIV and coinfections
Status: Completed

A community health worker at Bvumbe Health Centre in Malawi pricks a man’s finger for a sample to use in a dried blood spot (DBS) viral-load test (Image: Médecins Sans Frontières)

The problem

Periodic viral-load testing is critical to ensure that HIV treatment is working effectively. In resource-limited settings, most HIV diagnostic facilities were centralized and require trained staff, as well as specialized infrastructure. Laboratories are often located far from patients’ homes, and results could be lost or delayed due to the distance between sample collection and testing sites.

Download the project evaluation
Our response
The project generated a wealth of evidence demonstrating the feasibility of viral-load testing, which encouraged partners and low-income countries to establish testing programs. It provided guidance and ready-to-use tools for implementing these kinds of interventions.

540,000+

Viral load tests administered in target countries

2,700

Estimated deaths averted thanks to viral load testing

5,875

Early infant diagnosis tests administered

65,600

Point-of-care CD4 tests deployed to monitor HIV infections

Our partner

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