HIV testing and ART initiation among partners, family members, and high-risk associates of index clients participating in the CommLink linkage case management program, Eswatini, 2016-2018.

ABSTRACT: To help diagnose and initiate antiretroviral therapy (ART) for ≥95% of all persons living with HIV (PLHIV), the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends offering HIV testing to biological children, and sexual and needle-sharing partners of all PLHIV (index-client testing, ICT). Many index clients, however, do not identify or have contactable partners, and often substantially fewer than 95% of HIV-positive partners initiate ART soon after index testing. To help improve early HIV diagnosis and ART initiation in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), we implemented a community-based HIV testing and peer-delivered, linkage case management program (CommLink) that provided ICT as part of a comprehensive package of WHO recommended linkage services. CommLink was implemented June 2015 -March 2017 (Phase

SUBMITTER: Williams D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8687549 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature