Category Archives: Testing
Scaling up HIV self-testing in sub-Saharan Africa: A review of technology, policy and evidence
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: HIV self-testing (HIVST) can provide complementary coverage to existing HIV testing services and improve knowledge of status among HIV-infected individuals. This review summarizes the current technology, policy...
Strategies to link people with undiagnosed HIV infection to HIV testing, care, and prevention services
Key take-home messages A variety of strategies have shown promise for identifying individuals with undiagnosed HIV and engaging them with HIV testing using clinical, community-based, network-based, and self-directed approaches. Various...
Which community-based HIV initiatives are effective in achieving UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets? A systematic review and meta-analysis of evidence (2007-2018)
BACKGROUND: Reaching the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) 90-90-90 targets to end the HIV epidemic relies on effective interventions that engage untested HIV+ individuals and retain them in...
Systematic review of the performance and clinical utility of point of care HIV-1 RNA testing for diagnosis and care
BACKGROUND: Point of-care (POC) HIV-1 RNA tests which are accurate and easy to use with limited infrastructure are needed in resource-limited settings (RLS). We systematically reviewed evidence of POC test...
Are policy initiatives aligned to meet UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets impacting HIV testing and linkages to care? Evidence from a systematic review
Background: The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Fast-Track initiative seeks to eliminate AIDS as a health threat by 2030, with its focus on UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets. Effective policies and...
HIV-related care for transgender people: A systematic review of studies from around the world
RATIONALE: Transgender people face unique challenges, such as structural, interpersonal, and individual vulnerabilities to chronic diseases. Stigma and prejudice may hamper their access to health care and prevent their inclusion...
The effectiveness of social marketing interventions to improve HIV testing among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men: A systematic review
HIV testing is central to biomedical HIV prevention, but testing among men who have sex with men remains suboptimal. We evaluated effectiveness of mass media and communication interventions to increase...
What works? Prevention and control of sexually transmitted infections and blood-borne viruses in migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, northeast Asia and southeast Asia living in high-income countries: A systematic review
Migration is a significant risk factor for the acquisition of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV) and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). An increasing proportion of these infections...
Retest and treat: A review of national HIV retesting guidelines to inform elimination of mother-to-child HIV transmission (EMTCT) efforts
INTRODUCTION: High maternal HIV incidence contributes substantially to mother-to-child HIV transmission (MTCT) in some settings. Since 2006, HIV retesting during the third trimester and breastfeeding has been recommended by the...
Healthcare workers’ perspectives on the barriers to providing HIV services to children in sub-Saharan Africa
Background: In order to accelerate the HIV response to meet the UNAIDS 90-90-90 indicators for children, healthcare workers need to lead a scale-up of HIV services in primary healthcare settings....
Understanding how, why, for whom, and under what circumstances opt-out blood-borne virus testing programmes work to increase test engagement and uptake within prison: A rapid-realist review
BACKGROUND: Prisons represent a unique opportunity to diagnose blood-borne viruses. Opt-out testing is receiving increasing interest, as a result of mounting evidence to suggest that the manner in which a...
