August 31, 2021
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Field teams have completed data collection and successfully demobilized.
The Fifth Botswana HIV/AIDS Impact Survey (BAIS V) has successfully completed field data collection, and teams have demobilized out of the field.
BAIS V reached nearly 20,000 participants, more than 13,500 households, and completed more than 10,000 household interviews.
The survey was originally slated to take place in 2020 but paused due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In February 2021, the BAIS V survey officially launched.
Although this was the fifth survey of its kind conducted in Botswana, this was the first conducted under the trying circumstances of a pandemic.
“These last few months of implementation have been a journey of collective resilience and I am proud of every community mobilizer, field and satellite lab team member, every regional and technical lead, and every member of our operations team,†said Dr. Reson Marima, BAIS V project director.
The goal of the survey, which includes persons aged 6 weeks to 64 years old, is to estimate the current incidence and prevalence of HIV and assess Botswana’s progress towards HIV epidemic control.
The survey teams were comprised of community mobilizers, who help build survey awareness and participation, team leads, counselor interviewers, field testers, and laboratory personnel. Samples were processed at a network of satellite laboratories throughout the country and are being analyzed at a central laboratory in Botswana.
BAIS V is being led by the Botswana Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW), Botswana National AIDS and Health Promotion Agency (NAHPA), Statistics Botswana, and the National Health Laboratory. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is providing funding under PEPFAR as part of the Population-based HIV Impact Assessments (PHIA) being conducted in PEPFAR-supported countries. The PHIA are providing critical information about the status of HIV/AIDS, while also building capacity by strengthening the workforce and providing the infrastructure needed to design, conduct, analyze, and disseminate results. PHIA measure national and regional progress toward meeting UNAIDS' 90-90-90 goals and help to refocus resources where needed to move countries closer to HIV epidemic control.
At the conclusion of the survey, several of the principal investigators sent thank you messages to the BAIS V team, which is viewable below.
Contact
Center for International Health, Education, and Biosecurity
Institute of Human Virology
Anthony Okoth
Regional Communications Specialist
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