HIV Surveillance – Kuzama pa Kalondo (KpK)
Kuzama pa Kalondo (KpK) is developing an example, and case study for a modernised HIV surveillance strategy bespoke for settings seeking to sustain high coverage and effectiveness of HIV programmes and continued declining new HIV infections. It serves as a guiding example for national HIV programmes and global stakeholders (e.g., WHO, UNAIDS) in countries with hyperendemic HIV across Eastern and Southern Africa.
- Define what to monitor: mathematical modelling are exploring (1) possible future HIV epidemic trends and transmission dynamics, and (2) how observable changes in routine programme monitoring indicators relate to epidemiologic scenarios.
- Leverage new data systems: incorporating individual-level routine HIV treatment, testing, and case-based surveillance into subnational HIV epidemic estimation tools.
- Develop a model surveillance strategy: convening stakeholders with relevant authorities (e.g., the Public Health Institute of Malawi, the Directorate of HIV, STIs, and Viral Hepatitis (DHA) and the National Aids Commission (NAC)) to develop a surveillance strategy aligned to HIV epidemic control monitoring priorities (Box).
- Design and pilot new surveillance approaches: demonstrating collection and use of targeted HIV surveys built on routine health system platforms and modelling, including routine individual antenatal data ascertainment, case investigation of new HIV diagnoses, and adaptive household health surveys.
- Disseminate and support the adoption of new tools: sharing methods and software as open-source R packages; disseminating strategy through journal publications, scientific meetings, and presentations to global scientific advisory groups.
AFIDEP is incorporating stratified aggregate and individual-level routine monitoring data into quantification for key HIV strategic information outcomes at district and national levels
- Gaining a deeper theoretical understanding of key HIV surveillance indicators areas within high programme coverage and declining new infections.
- Developing advanced methods to utilise digital health data and provision of software tools that implement these new methods.
- Establishing a modernised HIV surveillance strategy centred on routine health system data, thereby supporting more effective monitoring and response to the epidemic.
The Kuzama pa Kalondo (KpK) project is being implemented through a collaboration of the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS), Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH), Nyanja Health Research Institute, African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), and University of Cape Town (UCT), in partnership with the Directorate of HIV, STIs, and Viral Hepatitis (DHA), the Public Health Institute of Malawi (PHIM), the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and others.
KpK is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The project commenced in October 2023 and is expected to be completed in March 2028.
Key Details
| Dates: | October 2023 to March 2028 |
| Aim: | Kuzama pa Kalondo (KpK) is a research project that is developing future-oriented approaches for monitoring sustained HIV epidemic control in Malawi and other countries sustaining effective HIV programmes and low and declining new HIV infections. It employs routine health system data, targeted surveillance, and mathematical and statistical models. |
| Where: | Malawi |
| Project Manager: | Dr McEwen Khundi |
| Principal Investigator: | Dr Michael G Chipeta |