29 November 2017, 9-10 a.m. EST
Project SOAR Webinar
The first of the UNAIDS 90-90-90 goals for ending the AIDS epidemic calls for 90 percent of individuals to learn their status through HIV testing. While testing has become more commonplace, large gaps remain that call for innovative strategies to bridge them. For those living with HIV, knowing one’s HIV status is the critical first step to initiating antiretroviral therapy, remaining in care, and achieving viral suppression.
In this webinar, researchers discussed recent evidence from examining facility- and community-based approaches to HIV testing.
How feasible, acceptable, and effective are HIV self-testing kits in facilitating entry into universal test-and-start services by people living with HIV? Stefan Baral of Project SOAR/Johns Hopkins University discussed distribution of HIV self-testing kits to key populations as part of a randomized controlled trial in Senegal assessing different approaches to achieve viral suppression among newly-diagnosed clients.
Can key opinion leaders promote the uptake of HIV self-testing and linkage to treatment among men who have sex with men in Nigeria? Sylvia Adebajo and Waimar Tun of the Population Council shared results from a National Institutes of Health-supported study examining the potential of HIV self-testing kits to expedite early treatment and linkage to care among men who have sex with men in Nigeria.
How can health facility-based HIV testing services be optimized to enhance uptake of testing and linkage to care for clients who are HIV positive? Christopher Hoffman of Project SOAR/Johns Hopkins University presented quantitative and qualitative findings on the use of a systems approach to improve delivery of HIV testing in primary care clinics in South Africa.