Abstract #3510 - Home-based counselling and testing in South Africa and Uganda: achieving high testing uptake and linkage to care
Authors:
Presenting Author:
Dr Heidi van Rooyen - HSRCAim:
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) reduces HIV-related morbidity and mortality, and decreases the risk of HIV transmission to susceptible partners. The widespread use of ART has the potential to decrease population level incidence of HIV by reducing viral load. ‘Treatment as Prevention’ strategies hinge on universal knowledge of HIV status, timely linkages to care, ART initiation and sustained high adherence. Our team has extensive experience with community-based HIV testing and linkage to treatment and prevention in Africa, where we have conducted four studies of community-based HIV testing with lay counselor follow-up visits to increase linkages to HIV care and prevention. Following community mobilization and household enumeration, participants received counseling, confidential rapid HIV testing, point-of-care CD4 testing with counseling about CD4 levels for ART initiation and the next steps in care, referral to HIV care and follow-up visits. We present results from these studies, showing that our approach leads to high testing uptake and linkage to care. Participants who did not link to care remind us that ART uptake among asymptomatic individuals requires different strategies and interventions to improve linkage and retention in care.Go Back