Across sub-Saharan Africa, women living with HIV face a disproportionate burden of co-morbidities affecting sexual and reproductive health, particularly female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) and persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. These conditions interact with HIV through chronic inflammation, immune dysregulation, anemia, and increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, yet clinical services often remain fragmented, with HIV care, reproductive health, and neglected tropical disease programmes delivered separately.
To address this gap, the project proposal INTEGRA-WINGS has been submitted under the call HORIZON-JU-GH-EDCTP3-2026-01-HIV-03-two-stage – Global collaboration action towards better prevention, treatment and clinical management of HIV coinfections or co-morbidities in sub-Saharan Africa.
The project aims to generate late-stage evidence on the effectiveness of structured, protocol-driven integration of HIV and FGS management, with HPV-informed referral pathways embedded within antenatal care, Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT), and outpatient HIV treatment services in Senegal, Gabon, and Nigeria.
INTEGRA-WINGS will evaluate an integrated clinical approach that combines standardized screening for female genital schistosomiasis, praziquantel treatment, medication reconciliation, and coordinated referral systems for HPV-related conditions. The effectiveness of this model will be assessed through a pragmatic stepped-wedge cluster randomised trial designed to measure improvements in maternal haemoglobin levels, anemia prevalence, and pregnancy outcomes among women living with HIV. Additional analyses will examine viral suppression, safety, genital morbidity, polypharmacy, and cost-effectiveness, together with implementation research to support future scale-up.
The proposal is coordinated by us as R-Evolution Worldwide and brings together an international consortium composed of Université Gaston Berger de Saint-Louis (Senegal), Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville-CIRMF (Gabon), Cranfield University (United Kingdom), College of Medicine, University of Lagos (Nigeria), and Institut de Recherche pour le Développement-IRD (France).
