As for syphilis screening, despite it being offered for free, timely notification of test results and initiation of linkages to confirmatory testing and treatment are often delayed or not performed diligently.
Among the several attempts to identify genes that explain the heritability of initiation, a linkage study (Agrawal et al. 2008a) failed to identify statistically significant associated genomic regions, although it did identify several suggestive regions on chromosomes 18 and 1.
This indicates that female patients tend to enrol more frequently in ART service than men, and they would have early initiation of treatment due to the linkage between the community-based prevention of mother-to-child transmission (CB-PMTCT) and treatment and care program.
We show that such a repertoire of clonally different antibodies, despite their origin in a common immunoglobulin VH gene, is able to target more than one epitope on Bet v 1, thereby in principle fulfilling the prerequisites for cross-linkage and initiation of the allergic cascade.
These critical points include diagnosis, linkage to care, initiation of antiretroviral therapy, treatment or prophylaxis of opportunistic infections, and retention in care over time [ 8, 33].
This is in line with other studies pointing to a loss of linkage to care after HIV testing and prior to initiation of ART in South Africa and the sub-Saharan region [ 18– 20].
Not all those with CD4 tests would have been eligible for initiation onto ART, so this indicator cannot strictly be taken as a measure of linkage to care in this study.
This could be taken as an indication that irrespective of the approach to HIV testing, those HIV-positive patients most in need of linkage to care were in fact prioritised by health providers for ART initiation, which is reassuring.
The predicted longevity is dependent on successfully navigating the continuum of care, which requires diagnosis of HIV infection before severe immunosuppression, prompt linkage to care, timely initiation of treatment, good adherence to ART and retention in care [1,32].
Thus, along with other health benefits, interventions focusing on linkage to care and initiation of ART may help to protect the mental health of pregnant and childbearing women in sub-Saharan Africa, with important benefits for maternal and child health.
