Building the evidence base to optimize the impact of key population programming across the HIV cascade

<p>A Scoping Review of Patient Preferences for HIV Self-Testing Services in the United States: Implications for Harm Reduction</p>

“…Despite marked progress in the ability to test for, treat, and prevent HIV, the epidemic remains a significant public health concern, especially among key populations including prisoners; sex workers; transgender individuals; gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM); and Black men who have sex with men (BMSM). 1,2 There is ample evidence that populations overrepresented in the HIV epidemic are those who experience barriers to care and are less likely to be engaged in all stages of the HIV care and prevention continuum including diagnosis, linkage to and retention in care, antiretroviral use, viral suppression, and connection to preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and PrEP care resources. [2][3][4][5] As the first step in the continuum of care, improving HIV testing rates is vital.…”

“…1,2 There is ample evidence that populations overrepresented in the HIV epidemic are those who experience barriers to care and are less likely to be engaged in all stages of the HIV care and prevention continuum including diagnosis, linkage to and retention in care, antiretroviral use, viral suppression, and connection to preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and PrEP care resources. [2][3][4][5] As the first step in the continuum of care, improving HIV testing rates is vital. Although detection and case finding are of primary importance in getting people linked to HIV care or biobehavioral prevention opportunities, testing rates among all key populations remain far below the United Nations target of 90-90-90.…”

“…Although detection and case finding are of primary importance in getting people linked to HIV care or biobehavioral prevention opportunities, testing rates among all key populations remain far below the United Nations target of 90-90-90. 2,[6][7][8][9][10] One approach to improving HIV testing rates that may be critically important for vulnerable and oppressed populations is HIV self-testing (HIVST). HIVST was approved in the United States (US) in 2012 as an oral rapid HIV test for sale in stores and online.…”

Geographies of sexualities in sub-Saharan Africa: Positioning and critically engaging with international human rights and related ascendant discourses

“…Research is also highlighting how it is important to target such groups to reduce the total HIV burden of different states (Mannava et al, 2013; Mukandavire et al, 2018). With the support of international funding bodies such as the US Centres for Disease Control (CDC), the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and The Global Fund to Fight TB, HIV and Malaria (commonly referred to as The Global Fund), countries in sub-Saharan Africa where the epidemic is particularly severe have started to implement programming for KPs, including support for tailored clinical services and community-engagement HIV prevention and testing programmes (Lillie et al, 2018; Wolf et al, 2018). Public health research has also started to comprehensively consider how stigma and discrimination inhibit safer-sex behaviour and also inhibit the likelihood of being able to access medical care and other forms of social support (Fay et al, 2011; Stahlman et al, 2015).…”

“…Approaches to address HIV/AIDS also shift focus away from state-level jurisprudence, towards the level of the community and the clinic. These spaces are framed today as the key locations for work to confront HIV/AIDS so as to develop context-appropriate HIV programming for diverse KP groups and to provide appropriate care (Rebe et al, 2013; Wolf et al, 2018). This also means that targeted activities have to address the spatial dimension to existing inequality, by focusing on place-specific relations that inhibit the achievement of 90-90-90 targets.…”