At a glance
CDC works with partners in Côte d'Ivoire to build sustainable public health capacity, strengthen laboratory systems and surveillance networks, deliver high-quality HIV and TB diagnostic, treatment, and prevention services, and respond swiftly to disease outbreaks at their source, preventing health threats from reaching the U.S.
Strategic focus
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began its partnership with Côte d’Ivoire in 1987 by opening the Project Retrovirus Côte d'Ivoire (Retro-CI) laboratory in collaboration with the Ivoirian Health Ministry. In 2004, this partnership expanded when the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) started providing services in Côte d'Ivoire.
Côte d’Ivoire has made significant progress in identifying 82 percent of people living with HIV, providing them with antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 88 percent of people who know their status. Amongst people on ART, 88 percent are virally suppressed. However, HIV is still one of the top causes of mortality in Côte d'Ivoire, and challenges remain in case finding and achieving long-term viral suppression.
Read more about CDC's most recent key activities and accomplishments below.
Building public health capacity
- Coordinated and ensured quality HIV treatment and prevention services nationwide with the Ivoirian Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene (MSHP) and the Ministry of Women, Family, and Children. This support included TB diagnosis and treatment, HIV testing services, prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission, and prevention among people at greater risk of HIV.
- Built the capacity of civil society organizations for quality services through community-led monitoring. With CDC support, Côte d’Ivoire is the first country in West Africa and Francophone Africa to participate in the Extension for Community Health Care Outcomes (Project ECHO). This platform uses telementoring to increase workforce capacity. Project ECHO has played a critical role in providing virtual trainings and guidelines for providers on HIV, TB, and other infectious diseases. Finally, the Retro-CI laboratory has been globally certified as a pre-qualification site for HIV molecular diagnostics, the first such laboratory in West Africa.
Strengthening laboratory systems and networks
- Provided technical expertise to regional and district health laboratories to ensure better access to HIV testing services. With CDC support, Côte d'Ivoire implements continuous quality improvement services in more than 3,000 HIV testing sites to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of HIV testing.
- Expanded HIV viral load testing and early infant diagnosis to every region in the country. CDC continues to ensure that laboratory platforms are fully used at capacity to support HIV prevention, care, and treatment services. With other donors, such as UNICEF and the Global Fund, CDC is supporting the implementation of an integrated specimen transportation system nationwide.
- Enhanced data quality and use for decision-making by the MSHP and local partners through the development and implementation of a national data quality improvement plan. The work also includes building national health information systems and implementing surveillance activities, such as a population-based HIV Impact assessment survey and antenatal clinic surveillance.
HIV prevention and treatment
- Supported national efforts to deliver high-quality, patient-centered HIV prevention, care, and treatment services.
- Integrated health services to reach children and men by scaling up safe and ethical index testing services and optimizing provider-initiated testing and counseling. CDC support has led to dramatic increases in treatment optimization—98 percent of children on ART are now on pediatric Dolutegravir (pDTG), and 96 percent of adult ART patients are now on Tenofovir-Lamivudine-Dolutegravir (TLD). These treatment optimizations are accelerating progress toward long-term viral suppression.
- Facilitated the rapid scale-up of tuberculosis (TB) preventive treatment, pre-exposure prophylaxis, and differentiated service delivery models for stable patients receiving treatment.
- Introduced a successful peer support model in 2023 to help Côte d'Ivoire improve child and adolescent HIV care.
- Redesigned CDC’s office to enhance partner management and provide essential technical support for improved program outcomes.
TB prevention and treatment
- Helped local clinics implement routine testing for HIV and TB. These clinics closely monitor patients with both conditions to ensure viral load suppression and successful TB treatment.
By the numbers
HIV
Estimated HIV Prevalence (Ages 15-49)
1.8% (2023)
Estimated HIV Deaths (Age≥15)
Reported Number Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy (Age≥15)
TB
Estimated TB Incidence
119/100,000 (2023)
13% (2023)
TB Treatment Success Rate
87% (2022)