[afro-nets] New publications from the Horizons Program

["Hutchinson, Sherry" <SHutchinson@PCDC.ORG>]

New publications from the Horizons Program
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With estimates of 40 million people worldwide living with HIV, of which less than 10 percent know their status, HIV testing and counseling is widely regarded as key to effective prevention and treatment efforts. Over the past year, a move toward health provider-initiated testing and counseling for HIV has gained support among governments and the international health community. However, provider-initiated testing requires trained health workers and clear guidelines that address consent, counseling, and confidentiality. For provider-initiated testing to yield maximum health impact, it also needs to occur in the context of expanded HIV care and treatment services. While provider-initiated testing represents an important advance in increasing the number of individuals who know their HIV status, it cannot replace voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) and the need for strategies to reach people who are outside of routine health services.

The latest issue of the Horizons Report, Expanding HIV Testing and Counseling, examines HIV testing from different angles, drawing from relevant studies in several countries.

In this issue:

	Expanding HIV Testing and Counseling
	Operations research examines strategies to increase access and uptake

	Initiating HIV Diagnostic Testing and Counseling
	Study in Kenya underscores need for adequate training of health providers

	Promoting VCT at the Workplace
	Studies in Kenya and Zambia show increased acceptability and uptake of VCT by health workers and teachers

	Studies in Brief:

	Testing on the Road: Brazilian study finds support for VCT among truckers

	Family Matters: Zambia study highlights role of families in youths' testing decisions

Newsletter: http://www.popcouncil.org/horizons/newsletter/horizons(13).html


Related Publications:

Sexual risk-taking and HIV testing among health workers in Zambia 
Journal abstract: http://www.popcouncil.org/projects/abstracts/AB_11_1.html
Teachers matter: Baseline findings on the HIV-related needs of Kenyan teachers
Research Update: http://www.popcouncil.org/pdfs/horizons/ketchrsbslnru.pdf
Addressing the HIV prevention, testing, and treatment needs of mobile populations: Focus on truckers in Brazil
Research Update: http://www.popcouncil.org/pdfs/horizons/brtruckersru.pdf
Social relationships and adolescents' HIV counseling and testing decisions in Zambia
Research Summary: http://www.popcouncil.org/pdfs/horizons/zambvctyth.pdf

Horizons is a global operations research initiative designed to: 1) identify and test strategies to improve HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care programs; and 2) disseminate research findings and promote their utilization with the aim of replicating and scaling up successful interventions. 

Horizons is implemented by the Population Council in partnership with the International Center for Research on Women, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, PATH, Tulane University, Family Health International, and Johns Hopkins University. These studies and articles are made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The contents are the responsibility of the Horizons Program and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

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Sherry Hutchinson
mailto:SHutchinson@PCDC.ORG