Mobile HIV Counseling and Testing: Enabling Most At-Risk Population for HIV testing in Ethiopia

Background: USAID|Private Health Sector Program(PHSP) in collaboration with Regional Health Bureaus provides Mobile HIV Counseling and Testing(MHCT) services along four major transportation-corridors that link Ethiopia to Kenya, Djibouti, and Sudan. MHCT intended to access for Most At-Risk Populations(MARP) who has less incentive for HIV testing. PHSP implement different strategies to enhance uptake of services by MARP's; including, deploying peer mobilize, allocating s and adapting hours of operation for each town.

Methods: April-October 2010, MHCT service was provided in 29 towns in Amhara, Oromia, Dire-Dawa and SNNPR, and a total of 38,44(45% female) clients were tested, of which 1168(3%) were found HIV-positive. The client's information was collected using intake-format, a structured questioner, and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).

Result: Out of total tested, 11,273(29%), of which 460(4.1%) found positive for HIV, were MARPs of which, 586 Commercial Sex Workers, 5464women(15-24yrs) sexually-active, 2,847 men(15-24yrs) with multiple-partner, 967 women(15-24 yrs) divorced/separated/widowed, 353 truck-drivers, 593 local-driver, and 463 uniformed workers. Finding on the reason for testing showed that, 70.7% of MARP's(90% for female sex workers) were mentioned sexual related risk, 9.7% reasoned-out non-sexual risk, 12.2% were tested to plan for the future, and 6.7% were tested to reconfirmed their result or had developed ill/symptom. Commercial sex workers had higher prevalence of 14.8%.

Conclusion: Only small proportion of MARP's tested to plan for future. Therefore, MHCT enable majority of MARP's to get tested who might potentially not seeking testing, and empower to develop risk-reduction plan, if uninfected and to live-positively if infected.