Serving the underserved: an HIV testing program for populations reluctant to attend conventional settings.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Infectious Disease Epidemiology
• HIV/AIDS Research

Background:

• Vulnerable populations often face barriers to accessing conventional HIV testing services.
• Targeted rapid HIV testing programs can improve early diagnosis and linkage to care.
• Understanding the reach of such programs is crucial for public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a rapid HIV testing program by Médicos del Mundo on diagnosing HIV in vulnerable populations.
• To compare the program's outcomes with established HIV/STI clinics (EPIVIH) and national surveillance data (SNHSS).

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of HIV diagnosis data from the rapid testing program, EPIVIH clinics, and the Spanish National Surveillance System for HIV/STIs (SNHSS).
• Focus on demographic groups including women, transgender individuals, female sex workers, and Sub-Saharan Africans.

Main Results:

• The rapid testing program diagnosed a higher proportion of women (33.3%) compared to EPIVIH (8.6%) and SNHSS (17.7%).
• Significant diagnoses were observed among transgender individuals (6.9%), female sex workers (23.6%), and Sub-Saharan Africans (19.4%) through the program.
• HIV prevalence was higher in men than EPIVIH and nearly double in women compared to EPIVIH.

Conclusions:

• The rapid HIV testing initiative significantly enhances HIV diagnosis among female sex workers, Sub-Saharan Africans, and transgender individuals.
• These populations are historically underrepresented in traditional clinical settings.
• The program demonstrates a substantial contribution to reaching and diagnosing key populations for HIV prevention and care.