The HIV Care Cascade in Switzerland: Reaching the UNAIDS/WHO Targets for Patients Diagnosed with HIV

We estimate that:

• 15,200 HIV-infected individuals lived in Switzerland in 2012 (margins of uncertainty, 13,400-19,300). Of those,
• 12,300 (81%) were diagnosed,
• 12,200 (80%) linked, and
• 11,900 (79%) retained in care,
• 10,800 (71%) patients were receiving ART, and
• 10,400 (68%) had suppressed (<200 copies/ml) VLs. 

The vast majority (95%) of patients retained in care were followed within the SHCS network, with 76% registered in the cohort.

Our estimate for HIV-infected individuals in Switzerland is substantially lower than previously reported, halving previous national HIV prevalence estimates to 0.2%. In Switzerland in 2012, 91% of patients in care were receiving ART, and 96% of patients on ART had suppressed VL, meeting recent UNAIDS/WHO targets.

Via:  http://ht.ly/SpHva 

By: Kohler P1, Schmidt AJ, Cavassini M, Furrer H, Calmy A, Battegay M, Bernasconi E, Ledergerber B, Vernazza P; and the Swiss HIV Cohort Study.

• 1aDivision of Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Cantonal Hospital St. Gallen, Switzerland bDivision of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland cCommunicable Diseases Division, Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), Bern, Switzerland dDepartment of Social & Environmental Health Research, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom eDivision of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Lausanne, Switzerland fUniversity Clinic of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Bern, Switzerland gHIV Unit, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland hDivision of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Basel, Switzerland iOspedale Regionale, Lugano, Switzerland. *equal contribution.