HIV self-testing (HIVST), a process in which an individual performs a HIV rapid diagnostic test and interprets the result in private, is an emerging approach that is well accepted, potentially cost-effective and empowering for those who may not otherwise test. To further explore the potential of HIVST, the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and World Health Organization held the first global symposium on the legal, ethical, gender, human rights and public health implications of HIVST. The meeting highlighted the potential of HIVST to increase access to and uptake of HIV testing, and emphasized the need to further develop evidence around the quality of HIVST and linkage to post-test services, and to assess the risks and the benefits associated with scale-up. This special issue of AIDS and Behavior links directly to the symposium and presents some of the latest research and thinking on the scale-up of HIV self-testing.
Infrastructure, through its direct and indirect effects, has a bearing on growth, equity and overall development of a country. Widening inequality has significant implications for growth and macroeconomic stability leading to suboptimal use of human resources and concentration of decision-making in the hands of a few. This article discusses the relationship between growth and infrastructure inequality in India since the 1990s. Tracing three dimensions of infrastructure inequality over time, this study tests the existence of its nonlinear relationship with growth. Empirical estimates reject the inverted U-shaped and U-shaped patterns between disparity in infrastructure and economic growth. Accelerated decline in infrastructure inequality is depicted with growth in India across infrastructure sectors of transport, energy and communication. Policymakers need to sustain efforts to eradicate infrastructure disparity by following a growth-oriented approach.
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