The Kabeho Study

Overview

The USAID funded Kabeho study followed a cohort of about 600 HIV positive women and their children through pregnancy and for 24 months postpartum to determine the 24 month HIV free survival in HIV exposed children in the context of routine service delivery of Option B+ in Kigali.  This study is an example of a strong and successful collaboration on the ground with the MOH – Rwanda Biomedical Center and the National University of Rwanda, and in the US with GWU and UNC. The program achieved remarkable results with a 24 month transmission rate of only 2.2% in a breastfeeding population, an HIV-free survival rate of 93.2%, and all six infected infants were on ART and still alive at 24 months of age.   However, the study also identified the need to address maintenance of viral suppression in women on ART for longer durations and early mortality in children.