The numbers behind the year
By 31 December 2020 EpiC in Lindi had reached 5,240 unique KVPs with the prevention minimum package — 109 percent of the annual target. Of those reached, 3,180 (61 percent) accepted an HIV test, including 1,820 through HIVST and 1,360 through provider-administered testing at outreach sites and drop-in centres.
Two hundred and fourteen individuals tested HIV-positive. Two hundred and seven (97 percent) initiated antiretroviral therapy within seven days, exceeding the EpiC same-week linkage benchmark of 92 percent.
Where the cascade leaks
Two leaks were visible in the data. The first was a 14 percent loss-to-follow-up among newly initiated clients between month one and month three, concentrated in fishing communities with high mobility. The second was a lower-than-expected PrEP continuation rate — only 58 percent of PrEP starts were still on PrEP at month three.
Both leaks are addressable. Mobile clients will be enrolled into a peer-led check-in protocol with monthly phone or in-person contact, and PrEP counselling will shift from a one-off conversation to a structured three-visit curriculum.
What Year Two must prove
Year Two will be judged on viral suppression, not on testing volume. The team will track the proportion of clients on ART for six or more months who achieve a suppressed viral load, with an internal target of 92 percent.
Funding, partnership, and political support are aligned. The work now is operational discipline — keeping the cascade tight, the data honest, and the peers supported.
EpiC closed its first year ahead of testing and linkage targets, with viral suppression now the focus for Year Two.