On August 1, 2024, a Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (PHIA) was launched in the West African nation of Côte d’Ivoire to measure the country’s progress toward reaching HIV epidemic control.

The Côte d’Ivoire Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (CIPHIA 2024) will aim to reach nearly 14,000 households, including more than 25,000 adults aged 15 years and older. Covering all regions of the country, the survey will collect information about the uptake of HIV care and treatment services across the country and will offer individuals HIV testing with immediate return of results. Individuals who are diagnosed with HIV but are not yet on treatment will be offered counseling and referral to a local health facility to initiate treatment.

Measuring HIV incidence, HIV prevalence, and viral load of communities across the country, among other key indicators, the survey will assess progress toward the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets, whereby 95 percent of people living with HIV know their HIV status, 95 percent of people who know their status are receiving HIV treatment, and 95 percent of people on treatment are virally suppressed by the year 2030. The survey’s results will inform future policy, programs, and funding related to HIV priorities in the country.

CIPHIA 2024 is led by the Côte d’Ivoire Ministry of Health, Public Hygiene and Universal Health Coverage and supported by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) with technical assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and ICAP at Columbia University. The survey will be implemented by entities in Côte d’Ivoire, including the National Institute of Statistics (INS), ACONDA VS-CI, and the National Program for Orphans and Children Made Vulnerable by HIV (PNOEV).

CIPHIA 2024 will be especially critical in understanding progress made since the first PHIA survey launched in Côte d’Ivoire, CIPHIA 2017-2018, which reached approximately 10,000 households.

The Ministry of Health launched CIPHIA 2024 in collaboration with regional authorities, including the national council of kings and traditional chiefs. Press briefings and TV spots on national channels were led by the Ministry of Health to inform the country about the survey. Within each neighborhood the survey will reach, community mobilization activities will be implemented before and during data collection.

The Minister of Health (left) greets a representative (center) of the Chamber of Traditional Kings and Chiefs of Côte d’Ivoire at the CIPHIA 2024 launch event.

“This survey will enable us to adjust our strategy,” said Pierre Demba, Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Health, Public Hygiene and Universal Health Coverage, at the CIPHIA 2024 launch ceremony. “I know that today the means of communication and awareness-raising we use are not reaching certain targets, including young people, so we’ll need to adjust these methods, and this survey will reveal the percentage of our actions targeting these populations, but also measure the progress made and see what adjustments need to be made.”

Prior to the launch of CIPHIA 2024, ICAP and partners supported the training of numerous survey data collectors, including 238 interviewers, 87 HIV testers, 80 community mobilization coordinators, and 30 satellite lab technicians. This training will be integral to efficient and accurate data collection, including streamlined laboratory procedures, quality control protocols, and ethics to ensure compliance with the survey quality standards and procedures.

Pierre Demba, Minister of Health, delivers a welcoming speech at the CIPHIA 2024 launch event.

Jessica Davis Ba, U.S. Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire

“CIPHIA 2024 will provide essential information on how Côte d’Ivoire has progressed in their HIV response since the first survey as well as assess any gaps that remain,” said Hermann Brou, the project director for ICAP’s role in CIPHIA 2024. “This updated data will inform more targeted HIV programming so that we can get that much closer to meeting the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets.”

“The United States is proud to support Côte d’Ivoire with this national CIPHIA survey,” said Jessica Davis Ba, Ambassador of the United States to Côte d’Ivoire. “It’s part of our collaboration and our fight together against HIV/AIDS…As His Excellency [Pierre Demba] said, this survey gives us the opportunity to obtain reliable data and information.”

About ICAP

A major global health organization that has been improving public health in countries around the world for two decades, ICAP works to transform the health of populations through innovation, science, and global collaboration. Based at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, ICAP has projects in more than 40 countries, working side-by-side with ministries of health and local governmental, non-governmental, academic, and community partners to confront some of the world’s greatest health challenges. Through evidence-informed programs, meaningful research, tailored technical assistance, effective training and education programs, and rigorous surveillance to measure and evaluate the impact of public health interventions, ICAP aims to realize a global vision of healthy people, empowered communities, and thriving societies. Online at icap.columbia.edu