Assessment of PrEP Eligibility Tool Among the General Population in Uganda

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To reduce the spread of HIV infection, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in populations with an annual HIV infection incidence greater than 3%. Given that the annual HIV incidence in Uganda is estimated at 0.40% (0.46% among females and 0.35% among males), there are people who may have a higher HIV risk and may benefit from PrEP but are not targeted for services. To further reduce the spread of HIV in Uganda, researchers used results from three survey rounds of HIV-negative participants within the Rakai Community Cohort Study (RCCS) to estimate the prevalence of high-risk individuals eligible for PrEP within the general population and the incidence of HIV infection associated with eligibility. 

In this study, a subset of questions from Uganda’s PrEP eligibility tool that are routinely asked within the RCCS surveys were used to determine PrEP eligibility. Eligibility was defined as reporting at least one of the following HIV risk behaviors in the past 12 months: sexual intercourse with more than one partner of unknown HIV status; nonmarital sex act without a condom; sex engagement in exchange for money, goods, or services; or experiencing genital ulcers. HIV incidence was estimated by analyzing seroconversion from HIV-negative to HIV-positive in participants who contributed to at least two of the survey rounds.

Overall, 29% of participants in the analysis met the eligibility criteria. Of these, 22% reported one HIV risk, 6% reported two HIV risks, and 1% reported three HIV risks. The results showed that PrEP eligible participants had twice the risk of acquiring HIV than their non-eligible counterparts. Furthermore, risk increased threefold in uncircumcised males but not circumcised males. Additionally, men who reported higher prevalence of risky behaviors had lower increase in HIV incidence compared to women, likely due to circumcision status and higher antiretroviral therapy coverage in HIV-infected females, leading to a decrease in transmission to men. The findings of this study support the use of PrEP eligibility screening in general populations with HIV incidence lower than 3% to reduce HIV acquisition even further in these populations.

Reference: Ssempijja et al. High Rates of Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Eligibility and Associated HIV Incidence in a Population With a Generalized HIV Epidemic in Rakai, Uganda, JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, July 1, 2022 - Volume 90 - Issue 3 - p 291-299.

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