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Changes in HIV testing trends in Poland during COVID-19 pandemic
Marta Niedźwiedzka-Stadnik1, Ewa Nowakowska-Radziwonka1, Magdalena Rosińska1
1Department of Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases and Surveillance, National Institute of Public Health NIH - National Research Institut.
Insights
COVID-19 lockdowns significantly reduced HIV testing by 44% at high-risk VCT sites in Poland, while general population testing saw only a 1% decrease. This highlights the pandemic's impact on vulnerable populations seeking HIV screening.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Infectious Disease Research
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns restricted access to essential health services, including HIV screening.
- Limited mobility and altered laboratory operations impacted the availability of HIV testing across Poland.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate trends in HIV testing in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- To compare HIV testing rates before and during the pandemic, focusing on Voluntary Testing and Counselling (VCT) sites serving high-risk groups.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of annual HIV test data from Polish laboratories.
- Utilized national survey data on screening and positive tests by site type, age, and gender.
- Incorporated data from the National AIDS Centre, including VCT-collected epidemiological and behavioral information.
Main Results:
- General population HIV testing decreased by only 1% during the pandemic.
- HIV testing at VCT sites dropped significantly by 44% due to temporary closures.
- The pandemic altered the demographic and geographic profile of individuals seeking HIV testing.
Conclusions:
- HIV testing rates in the general Polish population remained low, with a low positivity rate.
- VCT sites targeting high-risk individuals showed a higher HIV positivity rate.
- The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrably influenced HIV testing trends and the characteristics of tested populations in Poland.
Introduction:
At the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic, due to lockdown, limited mobility, as well as changes in the activity profile of some laboratories, the restriction also applied to access to various screening tests, including HIV screening tests.
Aim:
The aim of the study was to assess HIV testing trend during COVID-19 pandemic in laboratories in Poland and its comparison to the preceding years, with special focus on testing in the network of Voluntary Testing and Counselling (VCT) sites serving population with higher behavior risk, which increase the possibility of HIV infection.
Material And Methods:
Analysis of the changes in HIV tests number was based on the results of the annual survey of HIV tests conducted among the laboratories throughout the country. The questionnaire included data on screening and positive tests by testing site type, age group and gender. In addition, we extracted data collected in comprehensive National AIDS Centre database, based on epidemiological and behavior data collected by VCT on people who come for testing.
Results:
There are approximately 400,000 HIV tests annually run in general population in last years. COVID-19 pandemic, which occurred in beginning of 2020 did not have a huge impact on HIV test number among these population, because there was observed 1% decreased. Pandemic COVID-19, due to few lockdown reduced the HIV tests number among VCT clients - population with higher HIV risk infection. Tests number decreased by 44% compare to previous year, due to temporal closed of these centres. Data analysis shows that due to the pandemic, the structure of the surveyed people changed, especially in terms of age and gender, and the place where the study was performed.
Conclusion:
We confirmed low HIV testing rates in general population and low positivity rate over the studied period. The positivity rate was higher in the testing site network targeting individuals engaging in high risk behaviors. Changes observed in HIV testing trends in recent years have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
