Comparison of users of an HIV/syphilis screening community-based mobile van and traditional voluntary counselling and testing sites in Guatemala

Maria Lahuerta (1) , Meritxell Sabidó (1) , Federica Giardina (1) , Gabriela Hernández (1) , Juan Fernando Palacios (2) , Rudy Ortiz (1) , Victor Hugo Fernández (1) , Jordi Casabona (3) , The Uale Project (1)

1 Fundació Sida i Societat
2 Programa Nacional de SIDA
3 Centre for Epidemiological Studies on HIV/AIDS and STI of Catalonia (CEEISCAT)

Objectives: Mobile van (MV) for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) screening is effective in reaching at-risk populations. We aimed to compare behaviour characteristics and HIV and syphilis prevalence between subjects tested at a mobile van offering voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) versus those tested at 3 STI clinics in Guatemala. Methods: Over 28 months, female sex workers (FSWs), men who have sex with men/transgenders (MSM/TG), and people not reporting being a member of a risk group (NR) were offered HIV and syphilis rapid tests and interviewed on their sociodemographic and risk behaviour. Results: We tested 2,874 subjects (MV:1,336 (46%) vs. clinics:1,538 (54%)). The MV screened 73% of FSWs and 73% of the MSM/TG, and detected 19% of HIV and 69% of syphilis cases. HIV prevalence was significantly higher (p<0.001) at the STI clinics than at the MV for both NR and MSM/TG (NR:7% vs. 1%, MSM/TG:8% vs. 1%, respectively). A significantly higher proportion of MSM/TG screened at the STI clinic reported having had a prior HIV test (MV: 21% vs. clinics: 41%, p-value <0.001) while more FSWs tested in the MV reported having multiple partners and using condoms at their last sexual intercourse. Conclusions: The higher prevalence of HIV and syphilis at the STI clinics suggests they successfully identified high-risk subjects. In particular, the NR group showed higher than expected HIV and syphilis prevalence. Innovative approaches such as MV contributed to increasing access to other hard-to-reach groups such as MSM/TG or FSWs.

Mots clés: HIV; OUTREACH SERVICES; STD CLINIC; SYPHILIS; TESTING

Maria Lahuerta, Meritxell Sabidó, Federica Giardina, Gabriela Hernández, Juan Fernando Palacios, et al.. Comparison of users of an HIV/syphilis screening community-based mobile van and traditional voluntary counselling and testing sites in Guatemala. Sexually Transmitted Infections, 2010, 87 (2), pp.136. ⟨10.1136/sti.2010.043067⟩. ⟨hal-00584828⟩