Back to Search
Start Over
Identifying, linking, and treating people who inject drugs and were recently infected with HIV in the context of a network-based intervention.
- Source :
-
AIDS Care . Nov2019, Vol. 31 Issue 11, p1376-1383. 8p. 1 Chart, 1 Graph. - Publication Year :
- 2019
-
Abstract
- Identifying and linking people to care soon after HIV infection could limit viral transmission and protect their health. This work aims at describing the continuum of care among recently HIV-infected people who inject drugs (PWID) and participated in an intervention in the context of an HIV outbreak in Athens, Greece. The Transmission Reduction Intervention Project (TRIP) conducted risk network-based contact tracing and screened people for recent HIV infection. A comprehensive approach with a case management component that aimed to remove barriers to accessing care was adopted. Follow-up data on antiretroviral treatment (ART) and HIV-RNA levels were obtained from HIV clinics. TRIP enrolled 45 recently HIV-infected PWID (80% male) with a median viral load at recruitment of 5.43 log10 copies/mL. Of the recently infected persons in TRIP, 87% were linked to care; of these, 77% started ART; and of those on ART, 89% achieved viral load <200 copies/mL. TRIP and its public health allies managed to get most of the recently HIV-infected PWID who were identified by the program into care and many of them onto ART. This resulted in very low HIV-RNA levels. Treatment as prevention can work if individuals are aided in overcoming difficulties in entry to, or attrition from care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 09540121
- Volume :
- 31
- Issue :
- 11
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- AIDS Care
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 138524214
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1080/09540121.2019.1601671