Open AccessApproaches to Identify Unknown HIV-Positive Men Who Have Sex with Men in Nairobi, Kenya
Author(s) -
Macland Njagi,
Cristian J Chandler,
Robert W. S. Coulter,
Daniel Siconolfi,
Ronald D. Stall,
James E. Egan
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
aids and behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.994
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1573-3254
pISSN - 1090-7165
DOI - 10.1007/s10461-018-2347-3
Subject(s) - psychological intervention , men who have sex with men , health psychology , public health , demography , medicine , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , population , incidence (geometry) , environmental health , gerontology , family medicine , psychiatry , sociology , pathology , physics , syphilis , optics
Kenya has been home to one of the most severe HIV/AIDS epidemics in Sub-Saharan Africa. This persistent epidemic requires interventions tailored to affected populations, particularly men who have sex with men (MSM). Given the resource constraints of many clinics and ecological challenges of Kenya, such as the illegality of sex among MSM, interventions to address HIV must strategically engage this population. This quasi-experimental pilot study of N = 497 sought to explore differences in discovering previously unknown HIV-positive MSM in Nairobi, Kenya. The study used four clinical sites to compare a social and sexual network index testing (SSNIT) strategy compared to traditional HIV screening. Clinics using the SSNIT strategy had significantly higher incidence rates of HIV diagnoses than control clinics (IRR = 3.98, p < 0.001). This study found that building upon the social and sexual networks of MSM may be one promising strategy while discovering critical cases of HIV.