Help Provide Lifesaving HIV and TB Care in Haiti

Overview

As Haiti’s humanitarian and security crisis continued to affect access to essential services, Zanmi Lasante remained committed to ensuring continuity of HIV and tuberculosis (TB) prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. Across the Central Plateau and Lower Artibonite, clinical teams, community health workers, and outreach staff continued adapting service delivery to help patients remain connected to care, including through community-based outreach and targeted follow-up.

During the quarter, ZL continued to prioritize patient retention, treatment adherence, viral load monitoring, HIV prevention, and integrated TB/HIV services, with particular attention to patients facing barriers to accessing facility-based care.

Maintaining Continuity of HIV Care

In Lower Artibonite, 3,670 people living with HIV received care and treatment during the quarter. Healthcare teams continued to provide clinical follow-up, adherence support, patient education, viral load monitoring, and other services designed to help patients maintain treatment.

A total of 931 viral load samples were collected, including 165 through community outreach. Bringing viral load services closer to communities helped reduce barriers to accessing routine monitoring and supported continued engagement in HIV care.

Zanmi Lasante also continued targeted tracing and follow-up of patients who had interrupted treatment. During the quarter, 16 patients were successfully re-engaged in care, helping them resume treatment and reconnect with the services they need.

Strengthening Integrated TB/HIV Services

Zanmi Lasante continued integrating HIV and TB services across its clinical network, with teams supporting screening, diagnosis, treatment, referral, and follow-up for patients affected by both conditions.

Between July and September 2026, across the Zanmi Lasante network, 2,207 people were evaluated for tuberculosis, and 372 TB cases were diagnosed. Among those diagnosed, 92 cases of TB/HIV co-infection were identified. Of these 92 co-infected patients, 84 (91.3%) were initiated on antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 84 (91.3%) were initiated on cotrimoxazole (CTX).

The continued integration of TB and HIV services is particularly important for ensuring that patients diagnosed with TB and HIV receive timely treatment and follow-up through coordinated care. Community-based approaches and patient tracing mechanisms also help reduce the risk of treatment interruption and loss to follow-up.

Bringing Services Closer to Vulnerable Communities

Community outreach remained an important component of ZL's HIV response during the quarter. In Lower Artibonite, 165 viral load samples were collected through community outreach, allowing patients to access essential monitoring closer to where they live.

These approaches are particularly important in a context where insecurity, displacement, transportation challenges, and other barriers can make routine visits to health facilities more difficult. By combining facility-based care with community-based follow-up, ZL teams continued working to ensure that vulnerable patients remained connected to essential services.

Supporting Children and Adolescents Living with HIV

Zanmi Lasante's HIV response also addresses the psychosocial and educational needs of children and adolescents living with HIV. In addition to clinical treatment and adherence support, teams provide age-appropriate education and psychosocial support to help young people better understand their health and gradually participate in their own care.

In August, a psychosocial and educational activity at Hôpital Bon Sauveur de Cange brought together 58 participants, including 36 children and young people enrolled in the OEV program and seven tutors. The activity addressed age-appropriate HIV status disclosure, treatment understanding, sexual health and HIV prevention, as well as self-confidence and self-esteem. The activity illustrates ZL's broader approach to HIV care, which combines clinical treatment with individualized psychosocial support for young people living with HIV.

Looking Ahead

Zanmi Lasante will continue prioritizing patient retention, treatment adherence, viral load monitoring, HIV prevention, integrated TB/HIV care, and community-based outreach. As insecurity and other barriers to healthcare access continue to affect communities across Haiti, flexible approaches to service delivery will remain essential to ensuring that patients can access and maintain lifesaving treatment.

The continued delivery of HIV and TB services is made possible through the commitment of ZL's clinical teams, community health workers, patients, and supporters. GlobalGiving donors play an important role in helping Zanmi Lasante keep essential HIV and TB services available to vulnerable communities and ensure that patients are not left behind.