{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,10]],"date-time":"2026-10-10T18:14:00Z","timestamp":1791656040595,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,2]],"date-time":"2026-07-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782950400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Diseases"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: The fight against HIV in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is hindered by systemic challenges; notably, limited access to HIV viral load (VL) testing. Achieving VL suppression is the primary global target for eliminating HIV as a public health threat by 2030. This study aimed to determine the rate of VL suppression and identify associated factors among people living with HIV (PLHIV) receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Bunia. Methods: A descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among PLHIV receiving care at treatment sites in Bunia over a period of 11 months. Participants were selected using a two-stage sampling approach, consisting of non-random quota sampling followed by simple random sampling. The primary endpoint was the proportion of PLHIV achieving VL suppression, while associated factors were identified using multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: Overall, 603 PLHIV were enrolled, including 180 males (29.9%) and 423 females (70.1%). The median age was 40 years (IQR: 32\u201348), median duration on ART was 38 months (IQR: 15\u201391), and VL suppression was achieved by 75% of the participants. While this indicates significant progress, it remains below the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets. Adherence to antiretroviral therapy (aOR = 139.43; 95% CI: 66.63\u2013291.76; p &lt; 0.001) and being female (aOR = 2.15; 95% CI: 1.02\u20134.53; p = 0.044) emerged as independent predictors of virological success. Conclusions: Enhancing access to VL testing and optimizing ART adherence support strategies are critical to improving VL suppression rates in Bunia. Addressing these gaps is essential for the DRC to align with the global health objectives.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/diseases14070238","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,2]],"date-time":"2026-07-02T14:51:25Z","timestamp":1783003885000},"page":"238","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Factors Associated with Viral Load Suppression Among People Living with HIV on Antiretroviral Therapy in Bunia, Northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Alex Liripa","family":"Kwendra","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"D\u00e9partement de M\u00e9decine Interne, Infectiologie Tropicale, Facult\u00e9 de M\u00e9decine, Universit\u00e9 de Bunia, Bunia 292, Democratic Republic of the Congo"},{"name":"Programme National de Lutte Contre le VIH\/SIDA-IST-H\u00e9patites Virales, Bunia 185, Democratic Republic of the Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3143-1060","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Augustin","family":"Mouinga-Ondeme","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit\u00e9 des Infections R\u00e9trovirales et Pathologies Associ\u00e9es, Centre International de Recherches M\u00e9dicales de Franceville (CIRMF), Franceville P.O. Box 769, Gabon"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5832-0750","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"J\u00e9ordy Dimitri","family":"Engone-Ondo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit\u00e9 des Infections R\u00e9trovirales et Pathologies Associ\u00e9es, Centre International de Recherches M\u00e9dicales de Franceville (CIRMF), Franceville P.O. Box 769, Gabon"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Roger Buju","family":"Tsedha","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Programme National de Lutte Contre le VIH\/SIDA-IST-H\u00e9patites Virales, Bunia 185, Democratic Republic of the Congo"},{"name":"D\u00e9partement de Sant\u00e9 Publique, Facult\u00e9 de M\u00e9decine, Universit\u00e9 de Bunia, Bunia 292, Democratic Republic of the Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Justin Byaruhanga","family":"Ngona","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Programme National de Lutte Contre le VIH\/SIDA-IST-H\u00e9patites Virales, Bunia 185, Democratic Republic of the Congo"},{"name":"Laboratoire de VIH\/SIDA, H\u00f4pital G\u00e9n\u00e9ral de R\u00e9f\u00e9rence de Bunia, Bunia 238, Democratic Republic of the Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Salomon Batina","family":"Agasa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"D\u00e9partement de M\u00e9decine Interne, Universitaires de Kisangani, Kisangani 2012, Democratic Republic of the Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Herman Chelo","family":"Ngadjole","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"D\u00e9partement de la Sant\u00e9 Publique, Universit\u00e9 de Goma, Goma 2204, Democratic Republic of the Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ivan S.","family":"Mfouo-Tynga","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit\u00e9 des Infections R\u00e9trovirales et Pathologies Associ\u00e9es, Centre International de Recherches M\u00e9dicales de Franceville (CIRMF), Franceville P.O. Box 769, Gabon"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zacharie Tsongo","family":"Kibendelwa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"D\u00e9partement de M\u00e9decine Interne, Universitaires de Kisangani, Kisangani 2012, Democratic Republic of the Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"WHO (2024). HIV, WHO. Available online: https:\/\/www.who.int\/fr\/news-room\/facts-in-pictures\/detail\/hiv-aids."},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"UNAIDS (2026, January 09). FACT SHEET 2025\u2014Global HIV Statistics. Available online: https:\/\/www.unaids.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2025-07\/UNAIDS_FactSheet_fr.pdf."},{"key":"ref_3","unstructured":"WHO (2025). HIV-AIDS, WHO. Available online: https:\/\/www.who.int\/fr\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/hiv-aids."},{"key":"ref_4","unstructured":"WHO (2026, January 11). 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