Ukraine has one of the largest HIV epidemics in Europe, historically driven by people who inject drugs (PWID). The epidemic showed signs of stabilization in 2012, but the recent war in eastern Ukraine may be reigniting virus spread. We investigated the movement of HIV-infected people within Ukraine before and during the conflict. We analyzed HIV-1 subtype-A pol nucleotide sequences sampled during 2012–2015 from 427 patients of 24 regional AIDS centers and used phylogeographic analysis to reconstruct virus movement among different locations in Ukraine. We then tested for correlations between reported PWID behaviors and reconstructed patterns of virus spread. Our analyses suggest that Donetsk and Lugansk, two cities not controlled by the Ukrainian government in eastern Ukraine, were significant exporters of the virus to the rest of the country. Additional analyses showed that viral dissemination within the country changed after 2013. Spearman correlation analysis showed that incoming virus flow was correlated with the number of HIV-infected internally displaced people. Additionally, there was a correlation between more intensive virus movement and locations with a higher proportion of PWID practicing risky sexual behaviors. Our findings suggest that effective prevention responses should involve internally displaced people and people who frequently travel to war-affected regions. Scale-up of harm reduction services for PWID will be an important factor in preventing new local HIV outbreaks in Ukraine.

Assessment of the long-term population-level effects of HIV interventions is an ongoing public health challenge. Following the implementation of a Transmission Reduction Intervention Project (TRIP) in Odessa, Ukraine, in 2013–2016, we obtained HIV pol gene sequences and used phylogenetics to identify HIV transmission clusters. We further applied the birth-death skyline model to the sequences from Odessa (n = 275) and Kyiv (n = 92) in order to estimate changes in the epidemic’s effective reproductive number (R_e) and rate of becoming uninfectious (δ). We identified 12 transmission clusters in Odessa; phylogenetic clustering was correlated with younger age and higher average viral load at the time of sampling. Estimated R_e were similar in Odessa and Kyiv before the initiation of TRIP; R_e started to decline in 2013 and is now below R_e = 1 in Odessa (R_e = 0.4, 95%HPD 0.06–0.75), but not in Kyiv (R_e = 2.3, 95%HPD 0.2–5.4). Similarly, estimates of δ increased in Odessa after the initiation of TRIP. Given that both cities shared the same HIV prevention programs in 2013–2019, apart from TRIP, the observed changes in transmission parameters are likely attributable to the TRIP intervention. We propose that molecular epidemiology analysis can be used as a post-intervention effectiveness assessment tool.

The HIV treatment cascade is an effective tool to track progress and gaps in the HIV response among key populations. People who inject drugs (PWID) remain the most affected key population in Ukraine with HIV prevalence of 22% in 2015. We performed secondary analysis of the 2017 Integrated Bio-Behavioral Surveillance (IBBS) survey data to construct the HIV treatment cascade for PWID and identify correlates of each indicator achievement. The biggest gap in the cascade was found in the first “90”, HIV status awareness: only 58% [95% CI: 56%-61%] of HIV-positive PWID reported being aware of their HIV-positive status. Almost 70% [67%-72%] of all HIV-infected PWID who were aware of their status reported that they currently received antiretroviral therapy (ART). Almost three quarters (74% [71%-77%]) of all HIV-infected PWID on ART were virally suppressed. Access to harm reduction services in the past 12 months and lifetime receipt of opioid agonist treatment (OAT) had the strongest association with HIV status awareness. Additionally, OAT patients who were aware of HIV-positive status had 1.7 [1.2–2.3] times the odds of receiving ART. Being on ART for the last 6 months or longer increased odds to be virally suppressed; in contrast, missed recent doses of ART significantly decreased the odds of suppression. The HIV treatment cascade analysis for PWID in Ukraine revealed substantial gaps at each step and identified factors contributing to achievement of the outcomes. More intensive harm reduction outreach along with targeted case finding could help to fill the HIV awareness gap among PWID in Ukraine. Scale up of OAT and community-level linkage to care and ART adherence interventions are viable strategies to improve ART coverage and viral suppression among PWID.

Persons who inject drugs (PWID) have high HIV incidence and prevalence, and may have limited access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in some settings. We evaluated HIV drug resistance in PWID in a randomized clinical trial (HPTN 074). The study intervention included ART at any CD4 cell count with enhanced support for ART and substance use treatment. HPTN 074 enrolled HIV-infected PWID (index participants) with viral loads ≥1,000 copies/mL and their HIV-uninfected injection-network partners in Indonesia, Ukraine, and Vietnam; the study limited enrollment of people who reported being on ART. HIV drug resistance testing and antiretroviral (ARV) drug testing were performed using samples collected from index participants at study enrollment. Fifty-four (12.0%) of 449 participants had HIV drug resistance; 29 (53.7%) of the 54 participants had multi-class resistance. Prevalence of resistance varied by study site and was associated with self-report of prior or current ART, detection of ARV drugs, and a history of incarceration. Resistance was detected in 10 (5.6%) of 177 newly diagnosed participants. Participants with resistance at enrollment were less likely to be virally suppressed after 52 weeks of follow-up, independent of study arm. In HPTN 074, many of the enrolled index participants had HIV drug resistance and more than half of those had multi-class resistance. Some newly-diagnosed participants had resistance, suggesting that they may have been infected with drug-resistant HIV strains. Behavioral and geographic factors were associated with baseline resistance. Baseline resistance was associated with reduced viral suppression during study follow-up. These findings indicate the need for enhanced HIV care in this high-risk population to achieve sustained viral suppression on ART.

Background and Aim: To demonstrate the use of a standard dose of ledipasvir (LDV) and sofosbuvir (SOF), with or without ribavirin, to treat hepatitis C and hepatitis C/HIV co‐infection in Ukraine.Methods: Eligible HCV viraemic adults from two clinics in Kyiv were treated with LDV/SOF with or without weight‐based ribavirin for 12 weeks. Clinical assessments were performed at screening and at week 24, and as needed; treatment was dispensed every 4 weeks. The primary outcome was sustained virologic response (SVR) 12 weeks after treatment, with analysis by intention to treat. Cost per patient was estimated in USD (2018) over the 24‐week period.Results: Of 868 patients included in the study and initiated on therapy, 482 (55.5%) were co‐infected with HIV. The common genotypes were 1 (74.1%) and 3 (22%). Overall, SVR was achieved in 831 of the 868 patients (95.7%). SVR in patients with hepatitis C alone and hepatitis C/HIV co‐infection was 98.4% and 93.6%, respectively. Adverse events were infrequent and usually mild. Using generic medication, cost per patient was estimated at US$680.Conclusion: A standard dose of LDV and SOF, with ribavirin as per protocol, resulted in good outcomes for patients with both hepatitis C alone and co‐infected with hepatitis C/HIV. Program costs in Ukraine were modest using generic medication.

Вступ. Проведено одномоментні (поперечні) дослідження ретроспективно зібраних даних з 22 центрів СНІДу, які надають антиретровірусну терапію (АРТ) ВІЛ-інфікованим дорослим та дітям. Оцінювалися показники роботи закладів щодо ефективності формування у пацієнта прихильності до лікування (своєчасність отримання пацієнтом антиретровірусних препаратів (АРВП), а також щодо якості виконання програмних факторів (утримання пацієнтів під диспансерним наглядом, безперервність поставок АРВП, практика призначення моно- або бітерапії, максимальна вірусна супресія ВІЛ). Методи. Дані проаналізовані за допомогою електронного інструменту, розробленого Всесвітньою організацією охорони здоров’я (ВООЗ) – індикаторів раннього запобігання (РЗІ) медикаментозній резистентності (МР) ВІЛ. Результати. Встановлено, що в 2014-2015 рр. ВІЛ-інфіковані дорослі пацієнти своєчасно отримували АРВП тільки в 22,7 % центрів СНІДу, діти – у 36,4 % центрів. Утримати під наглядом більше 85 % пацієнтів вдалося 36,4 % центрів. У 9,1 % закладів зафіксовано дефіцит АРВП для дорослих пацієнтів, у 4,5 % – для дітей. Досягнуто максимальної вірусної супресії ВІЛ у дітей в 31,8 % закладів; по дорослим пацієнтам жодний центр СНІДу не зміг досягти цільового показника. Висновки. Впровадження щорічного збору та аналізу РЗІ в України допоможе своєчасно виявляти та вирішувати проблемні питання в системі надання послуг з АРТ, асоційовані з ризиком формування МР ВІЛ, як на рівні окремих закладів, так і на національному рівні.