HIV and AIDS continue to pose major public health challenges in Ethiopia, not only due to the primary infection but also because of the substantial burden of associated opportunistic diseases. Tuberculosis is the most prevalent co-infection, while many patients also experience intestinal parasites and other opportunistic infections that worsen clinical outcomes and place additional strain on the health system.

Projects in this area examine the spectrum and burden of co-infections, including studies on intestinal parasites in individuals with HIV and assessments of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the quality of care for those living with HIV and tuberculosis. Additional research focuses on treatment monitoring, particularly the detection of therapy failure and the identification of HIV drug resistance.

To facilitate high-quality data collection and evaluation, HITM collaborates closely with the HIV outpatient clinic at University Hospital Düsseldorf, which provides care for over 5,000 HIV patients. Key objectives of this partnership include ensuring consistent adherence to combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), conducting regular follow-up examinations, and detecting treatment failure at an early stage.

Hibiscus is the short name given for the study entitled “A Novel Diagnostic Approach to Opportunistic Infections in Persons with Advanced HIV disease in Ethiopia”. This is study was initiated by HITM and University of Minnesota researchers following our previous publication. The study hypothesis is screening for opportunistic infections (OIs) like cryptococcal infection, TB and histoplasmosis independent of CD4 count will result in similar or higher proportions of hospitalized persons diagnosed with HIV-related OIs, as compared to historical CD4-based screening. The study was ethical approved and initiated at Adama Hospital Medical College and Asella Referral and Teaching hospital. Recruitment began in November 2025, and a total of 54 participants have already been enrolled in the study.