Trends in HIV prevalence among young people in generalised epidemics: implications for monitoring the HIV epidemic.

Background: Countries measure trends in HIV incidence to assess the impact of HIV prevention and treatment programmes. Most countries have approximated trends in HIV incidence through modelled estimates or through trends in HIV prevalence among young people (aged 15-24 years) assuming they have recently become sexually active and have thus only been recently exposed to HIV.

Methods: Trends in HIV incidence are described and results are compared using three proxy measures of incidence: HIV prevalence among young women attending antenatal clinics (ANCs) in 22 countries; HIV prevalence among young male and female nationally representative household survey respondents in 14 countries; and modelled estimates of adult (ages 15-49 years) HIV incidence in 26 countries.

Monitoring trends in HIV prevalence among young people, aged 15 to 24 years, in Manicaland, Zimbabwe.

Background: In June 2001, the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) set a target of reducing HIV prevalence among young women and men, aged 15 to 24 years, by 25% in the worst-affected countries by 2005, and by 25% globally by 2010. We assessed progress toward this target in Manicaland, Zimbabwe, using repeated household-based population serosurvey data. We also validated the representativeness of surveillance data from young pregnant women, aged 15 to 24 years, attending antenatal care (ANC) clinics, which UNAIDS recommends for monitoring population HIV prevalence trends in this age group.

Who chooses a rapid test for HIV in Los Angeles County, California?

The purpose of this study was to determine who chooses a rapid test for HIV when given a choice in a community-based or mobile van setting in Long Beach, California. Individuals were given a choice of either rapid or standard HIV testing either alone or in conjunction with testing for sexually transmitted diseases (STD). Of the 2,752 HIV tests performed between March 2005 and March 2009, 917 (33%) were rapid tests.

Results from a multiple morbidities testing program offering rapid HIV testing bundled with hepatitis and sexually transmitted infection testing.

Objectives: Bundling human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing with tests for other infectious diseases such as hepatitis C, syphilis, or gonorrhea has been proposed as a method to recruit at-risk individuals into HIV testing. The objectives of this study were to determine (1) the types of at-risk clients who choose the rapid vs. standard HIV test when bundled with hepatitis and sexually transmitted infection (STI) tests, and (2) whether clients receiving a rapid HIV test are more likely to return on time for hepatitis and STI test results.