West Africa

Regional website
http://iedea-wa.org/

IeDEA West Africa on PubMed
Link to West Africa Publications in PubMed

Principal Investigators

Antoine Jaquet and Didier Ekouevi
University of Bordeaux
Inserm, French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD), UMR 1219
Bordeaux, France

Ighovwerha Otofokun
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia

Countries

  • Benin
  • Burkina Faso
  • Cote d’Ivoire
  • Ghana
  • Mali
  • Nigeria
  • Senegal
  • Togo

BACKGROUND

The IeDEA-West Africa (WA) network was established in 2006 and currently includes 18 partnering HIV sites (pediatric and adult) in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo. The regional coordinating center is located in Bordeaux (adult) and Toulouse (pediatric), France with a new partnership with Emory University and Washington University. Our regional team has long lasting experience in epidemiological HIV cohort research in West Africa, with an office in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. 

Since the establishment of the IeDEA-WA collaboration, significant achievements in both regional and multiregional level have been made regarding continuum of HIV care, monitoring and outcomes of treatment in adults, children & adolescent, and pregnant women; with a special interest for opportunistic infections, immune reconstitution syndrome, hepatitis B co-infection; HIV-2 infection; cervical cancer and mental health.

The current priority research areas of our network are focused on the continuum of HIV care in a context of universal treatment as well as HIV-related co-morbidities including tuberculosis (TB) and Cervical cancer, Mental health and Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD’s) in a regional context of both generalized and concentrated epidemic. We will address research questions through established regional cohort databases and through the implementation of innovative prospective in-depth cohorts of PLHIV.

During this funding cycle, we intend to address major research gaps including a better knowledge of the various comorbidities affecting PLHIV in West Africa. Our cohorts will capture specifically important data on children and adolescents to inform target interventions for these vulnerable groups.

More specifically we will:

  • Identify individual and structural barriers associated with the continuum of HIV care in PLHIV, from HIV testing to retention in care and viral suppression throughout West Africa
  • Assess the impact of new preventive approaches targeting AIDS-related morbidity including tuberculosis and cervical cancer
  • Determine the burden of NCDs and evaluate their interplay with HIV infection in PLHIV