Objectives: Annually, millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) receive HIV counselling and testing (HCT), a service designed to inform persons of their HIV status and, if HIV uninfected, reduce HIV acquisition risk. However, the impact of HCT on HIV acquisition has not been systematically evaluated. We conducted a systematic review to assess this relationship in SSA.
Methods: We searched for articles from SSA meeting the following criteria: an HIV-uninfected population, HCT as an exposure, longitudinal design and an HIV acquisition endpoint. Three sets of comparisons were assessed and divided into strata: sites receiving HCT versus sites not receiving HCT (Strata A), persons receiving HCT versus persons not receiving HCT (Strata B) and persons receiving couple HCT (cHCT) versus persons receiving individual HCT (Strata C).
Results: We reviewed 1635 abstracts; eight met all inclusion criteria. Strata A consisted of one cluster randomised trial with a non-significant trend towards HCT being harmful: incidence rate ratio (IRR): 1.4. Strata B consisted of five observational studies with non-significant unadjusted IRRs from 0.6 to 1.3. Strata C consisted of two studies. Both displayed trends towards cHCT being more protective than individual HCT (IRRs: 0.3-0.5). All studies had at least one design limitation.
Conclusions: In spite of intensive scale-up of HCT in SSA, few well-designed studies have assessed the prevention impacts of HCT. The limited body of evidence suggests that individual HCT does not have a consistent impact on HIV acquisition, and cHCT is more protective than individual HCT.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5295132 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/sextrans-2016-052651 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Community and familial dynamics influencing risk behavior for HIV acquisition among adolescent girls and young women in Uganda: Qualitative analysis using Protective Motivation Theory.
PLoS One
January 2025
Division of Global HIV & TB, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States of America.
Background: In Uganda, adolescent girls', and young women's (AGYW-15-24 years) current HIV prevalence is fourfold compared with their male counterparts due to compounded social, economic, and environmental factors. Using the Protective Motivation Theory (PMT), we explored HIV-acquisition risk sources and perceived protective factors from AGYW and caregivers' perspective.
Materials And Methods: During 2018, we conducted a qualitative study guided by PMT to explore factors influencing HIV acquisition among AGYW.
A global review of national guidelines of post-exposure prophylaxis for the prevention of HIV.
J Int AIDS Soc
January 2025
Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Introduction: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the use of antiretroviral drugs as post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for preventing HIV acquisition for occupational and non-occupational exposures. To inform the development of global WHO recommendations on PEP, we reviewed national guidelines of PEP for their recommendations.
Methods: Policies addressing PEP from 38 WHO HIV priority countries were obtained by searching governmental and non-governmental websites and consulting country and regional experts; these countries were selected based on HIV burden, new HIV acquisitions and the number of HIV-associated deaths.
'They went for the test together but came back separately': a constructivist grounded theory perspective on male engagement in antenatal HIV testing in Bamenda, Cameroon.
BMC Pregnancy Childbirth
January 2025
Department of Disease Control, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Introduction: Male engagement in HIV testing during pregnancy significantly contributes towards the prevention of maternal seroconversion and paediatric HIV acquisition. Despite this, men especially the male partners of pregnant women have been consistently missing in the HIV prevention cascade. The factors accounting for sub-optimal levels in male engagement intersect but reasons for this are poorly understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHarnessing Big Heterogeneous Data to Evaluate the Potential Impact of HIV Responses Among Key Populations in Sub-Saharan Africa: Protocol for the Boloka Data Repository Initiative.
JMIR Res Protoc
January 2025
Key Populations Program, Center for Public Health and Human Rights, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States.
Background: In South Africa, there is no centralized HIV surveillance system where key populations (KPs) data, including gay men and other men who have sex with men, female sex workers, transgender persons, people who use drugs, and incarcerated persons, are stored in South Africa despite being on higher risk of HIV acquisition and transmission than the general population. Data on KPs are being collected on a smaller scale by numerous stakeholders and managed in silos. There exists an opportunity to harness a variety of data, such as empirical, contextual, observational, and programmatic data, for evaluating the potential impact of HIV responses among KPs in South Africa.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAge-specific abnormal glucose metabolism in HIV-positive people on antiviral therapy in China: a multicenter case-control study.
Ann Med
December 2025
Department of Emergency Medicine, Second Affiliated Hospital, Department of Public Health, The Key Laboratory of Intelligent Preventive Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
Background: Update, the link between HIV infection and abnormal glucose metabolism (AGM) is still unclear. This study aims to investigate the impact of HIV infection on AGM, including insulin resistance (IR), impaired fasting glucose (IFG), and diabetes mellitus (DM).
Methods: A multicenter case-control study was conducted in Zhejiang province, China.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!