Views and Experiences of Mucosal Sampling in HIV Clinical Research among Kenyan Volunteers

HIV transmission predominantly occurs across mucosal surfaces. Efforts to find an effective and efficacious HIV vaccine, requires understanding the various mechanisms of sexual HIV transmission including immune responses to various HIV vaccine candidates along the mucosal pathways.  In this paper, we describe the experiences of health volunteers in three Phase 1 HIV vaccines trials and an observation study that comprised of high- risk and low risk healthy participants with regard to the collection of rectal, cervical and seminal mucosal samples. The paper emanates from a study that examined the views and experiences of volunteers in participating in HIV clinical research, at the KAVI-Institute of Clinical Research, Nairobi, Kenya. The study followed a mixed methods phenomenological research approach with a dominant qualitative strand. In the first phase, quantitative data was collected via a survey questionnaire involving 116 volunteers that helped identify 28 volunteers for the qualitative phase.  Quantitative data were analyzed using SPPS while qualitative data was transcribed verbatim, thematic themes identified for coding and entered into Atlas ti for analysis. Participants had a mean age of 28.5 ± 5.7 years (range 20–51 years). There were more males (n =85) than females (n= 31). In general, volunteers expressed mixed reactions towards the collection and use of mucosal samples. Both none-consenting and consenting volunteers cited invasiveness of their privacy.Also reported were experiences of physical and psychological discomforts, with men terming the collection of semen via masturbation as unnatural and contravening individuals’ religious and cultural beliefs. The findings reveal a knowledge gap among community members with use of mucosal samples and modes of collection

Awareness and utilization of HIV testing and prevention services among female sex workers in Dnipro, Ukraine: implications for prevention program strengthening from the dynamics study

INTRODUCTION: Approximately 240,000 people live with HIV in Ukraine, concentrated among key populations, including sex workers. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) play an important role in the funding and delivery of HIV testing and prevention services in Ukraine. These services are set within the context of national healthcare reforms as well as ongoing armed conflict. This study seeks to describe and understand the usage of HIV testing and prevention services among sex workers in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro. METHODS: A cross-sectional bio-behavioral survey was administered in September 2017-March 2018 among 560 sex workers working in Dnipro. Descriptive analyses of survey data are presented alongside multivariable logistic regression models identifying factors associated with NGO awareness and HIV testing in the past 12 months; adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) are reported. RESULTS: Sixty-two percent of respondents were aware of NGOs offering HIV services. Sixty-eight percent had tested for HIV in the past 12 months, and 51% of those who reported the location of their most recent test were tested at an NGO. Those with 5-9 years in sex work had greater odds of being aware of NGOs (AOR = 5.5, 95%CI: 3.2-9.7) and testing for HIV (AOR = 3.4, 95%CI: 2.0-6.0) compared to those new to the profession. Contact with outreach workers was strongly associated with increased odds of testing (AOR = 13.0, 95%CI: 7.0-24.0). Sex workers in "offices" (brothel-like venues) reported higher odds of testing than all other workplaces, while those in entertainment venues (AOR = 0.3, 95%CI: 0.2-0.5) and public places (AOR = 0.2, 95%CI: 0.1-0.3) reported lower rates. Receiving prevention services, such as free condoms, was associated with increased testing (AOR = 16.9, 95%CI: 9.7-29.3). DISCUSSION: NGOs in Dnipro, Ukraine play an important role in HIV testing and prevention for women involved in sex work. However, focused efforts should be placed on supporting access to these services for women that are newer to sex work, and those working in entertainment venues or public places. Outreach workers appear to support access to HIV prevention information and supplies and facilitate linkages to HIV testing for sex workers

Factors Associated with Sexual Violence against Men Who Have Sex with Men and Transgendered Individuals in Karnataka, India

There is a lack of information on sexual violence (SV) among men who have sex with men and transgendered individuals (MSM-T) in southern India. As SV has been associated with HIV vulnerability, this study examined health related behaviours and practices associated with SV among MSM-T.Data were from cross-sectional surveys from four districts in Karnataka, India.Multivariable logistic regression models were constructed to examine factors related to SV. Multivariable negative binomial regression models examined the association between physician visits and SV.A total of 543 MSM-T were included in the study. Prevalence of SV was 18% in the past year. HIV prevalence among those reporting SV was 20%, compared to 12% among those not reporting SV (p = .104). In multivariable models, and among sex workers, those reporting SV were more likely to report anal sex with 5+ casual sex partners in the past week (AOR: 4.1; 95%CI: 1.2-14.3, p = .029). Increased physician visits among those reporting SV was reported only for those involved in sex work (ARR: 1.7; 95%CI: 1.1-2.7, p = .012).These results demonstrate high levels of SV among MSM-T populations, highlighting the importance of integrating interventions to reduce violence as part of HIV prevention programs and health services

Assessing the influence of conflict on the dynamics of sex work and the HIV and HCV epidemics in Ukraine: protocol for an observational, ethnographic, and mathematical modeling study.

BACKGROUND: Armed conflict erupted in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and still continues. This conflict has resulted in an intensification of poverty, displacement and migration, and has weakened the local health system. Ukraine has some of the highest rates of HIV and Hepatitis C (HCV) in Europe. Whether and how the current conflict, and its consequences, will lead to changes in the HIV and HCV epidemic in Ukraine is unclear. Our study aims to characterize how the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine and its consequences influence the pattern, practice, and experience of sex work and how this affects HIV and HCV rates among female sex workers (FSWs) and their clients. METHODS: We are implementing a 5-year mixed methods study in Dnipro, eastern Ukraine. Serial mapping and size estimation of FSWs and clients will be conducted followed by bio-behavioral cross-sectional surveys among FSWs and their clients. The qualitative component of the study will include in-depth interviews with FSWs and other key stakeholders and participant diaries will be implemented with FSWs. We will also conduct an archival review over the course of the project. Finally, we will use these data to develop and structure a mathematical model with which to estimate the potential influence of changes due to conflict on the trajectory of HIV and HCV epidemics among FSW and clients. DISCUSSION: The limited data that exists on the effect of conflict on disease transmission provides mixed results. Our study will provide rigorous, timely and context-specific data on HIV and HCV transmission in the setting of conflict. This information can be used to inform the design and delivery of HIV and HCV prevention and care services

Informing HIV prevention programs for adolescent girls and young women: a modified approach to programmatic mapping and key population size estimation

Background: Standard programmatic mapping involves identifying locations where key populations meet, profiling of these locations (hotspots), and estimating the key population size. Information gained from this method has been used for HIV programming—resource allocation, program planning, service delivery, and monitoring and evaluation—for people who inject drugs, men who have sex with men, and female sex workers (FSWs). With an increasing focus on adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) as a priority population for HIV prevention, programs need to know the location of and how to effectively reach individuals who are at increased risk for HIV but were conventionally considered part of the general population. We hypothesize that AGYW who engage in transactional and casual sex also congregate at sex work hotspots to meet sex partners. Therefore, we adapted the standard programmatic mapping approach to understand the geographic distribution and population size of AGYW at increased HIV risk in Mombasa County, Kenya. Objectives: The objectives are several-fold: (1) detail and compare the modified programmatic mapping approach used in this study to the standard approach, (2) estimate the number of young FSWs, (3) estimate the number of AGYW who congregate in sex work hotspots to meet sex partners other than clients, (4) estimate the overlap in sexual network in hotspots, (5) describe the distribution of sex work hotspots across Mombasa and its four subcounties, and (6) compare the distribution of hotspots that were known to the local HIV prevention program prior to this study and those newly identified. Methods: The standard programmatic mapping approach was modified to estimate the population of young women aged 14 to 24 years who visit sex work hotspots in Mombasa to meet partners for commercial, transactional, and casual sex. Results: We estimated that there were 11,777 FSWs (range 9265 to 14,290) in Mombasa in 2014 among whom 6127 (52.02%) were 14 to 24 years old. The population estimates for women aged 14 to 24 years who engaged in transactional and casual sex and congregated at the hotspots were 5348 (range 4185 to 6510) and 4160 (range 3194 to 5125), respectively. Of the 1025 validated sex work hotspots, 870 (84.88%) were locations also visited by women engaged in transactional and casual sex. Only 47 (4.58%) hotspots were exclusive sex work locations. The geographic and typological distribution of hotspots were significantly different between the four subcounties (P<.001). Of the 1025 hotspots, 419 (40.88%) were already known to the local HIV prevention program and 606 (59.12%) were newly identified. Conclusions: Using the adapted programmatic mapping approach detailed in this study, our results show that HIV prevention programs tailored to AGYW can focus delivery of their interventions to sex work hotspots to reach subgroups that may be at increased risk for HIV

A cross-sectional survey exploring HIV and HCV prevalence among men who purchase sex in Dnipro, Ukraine

BACKGROUND: HIV programming in Ukraine largely targets "key population" groups. Men who purchase sex are not directly reached. The aim of our study was to explore the prevalence of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBIs) among men who purchase sex from female sex workers. METHODS: Following geographic mapping and population size estimation at each "hotspot", we conducted a cross-sectional bio-behavioural survey with men who purchase sex between September 2017 and March 2018 in Dnipro, Ukraine. Eligibility criteria included purchasing sex services at a "hotspot" and being ≥ 18 years. Participants completed a structured questionnaire, followed by HIV/HCV rapid testing and a dried blood spot (DBS) sample collection for confirmatory serology. RESULTS: The study enrolled 370 participants. The median age was 32 (interquartile range [IQR] = 27-38) and the median age of first purchase of sexual services was 22 (IQR = 19-27). Over half (56%) of participants reported ever testing for HIV; four participants (2%, N = 206) reported having tested positive for HIV, with three out of the four reporting being on ART. Forty percent of participants had ever tested for HCV, with three (2%, N = 142) having ever tested positive for HCV. In DBS testing, nine participants (2.4%) tested positive for HIV and 24 (6.5%) tested positive for ever having an HCV infection. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of HIV and HCV in this population was high. Given high rates of study enrolment and testing, efforts should be made to reach men who purchase sex with expanded STBBI programming

HIV prevalence, testing and treatment among men who have sex with men through engagement in virtual sexual networks in Kenya: a cross-sectional bio-behavioural study

INTRODUCTION: In Kenya, men who have sex with men (MSM) are increasingly using virtual sites, including web-based apps, to meet sex partners. We examined HIV testing, HIV prevalence, awareness of HIV-positive status and linkage to antiretroviral therapy (ART), for HIV-positive MSM who solely met partners via physical sites (PMSM), compared with those who did so in virtual sites (either solely via virtual sites (VMSM), or via both virtual and physical sites (DMSM)). METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional bio-behavioural survey of 1200 MSM, 15 years and above, in three counties in Kenya between May and July 2019, using random sampling of physical and virtual sites. We classified participants as PMSM, DMSM and VMSM, based on where they met sex partners, and compared the following between groups using chi-square tests: (i) proportion tested; (ii) HIV prevalence and (iii) HIV care continuum among MSM living with HIV. We then performed multivariable logistic regression to measure independent associations between network engagement and HIV status. RESULTS: 177 (14.7%), 768 (64.0%) and 255 (21.2%), of participants were classified as PMSM, DMSM and VMSM respectively. 68.4%, 70.4% and 78.5% of PMSM, DMSM and VMSM, respectively, reported an HIV test in the previous six months. HIV prevalence was 8.5% (PMSM), 15.4% (DMSM) and 26.7% (VMSM), p < 0.001. Among those living with HIV, 46.7% (PMSM), 41.5% (DMSM) and 29.4% (VMSM) were diagnosed and aware of their status; and 40.0%, 35.6% and 26.5% were on antiretroviral treatment. After adjustment for other predictors, MSM engaged in virtual networks remained at a two to threefold higher risk of prevalent HIV: VMSM versus PMSM (adjusted odds ratio 3.88 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.84 to 8.17) p < 0.001); DMSM versus PMSM (2.00 (95% CI 1.03 to 3.87), p = 0.040). CONCLUSIONS: Engagement in virtual networks is associated with elevated HIV risk, irrespective of individual-level risk factors. Understanding the difference in characteristics among MSM-seeking partners in different sites will help HIV programmes to develop subpopulation-specific interventions

Citizenship of Love: The Politics, Ethics and Aesthetics of Sexual Citizenship in a Kenyan Gay Music Video

Against the background of the current politicisation of homosexuality and the policing of sexual citizenship in Kenya and other African countries, this article offers an analysis of the Kenyan gay music video Same Love, released by the band Art Attack in 2016. Employing the concept of acts of citizenship (Isin and Nielsen 2008), the article foregrounds the political, ethical and aesthetic aspects through which the lyrics and images of Same Love perform an act of sexual citizenship mediated through art. It argues that as an artistic intervention, the video interrogates popular narratives of homosexuality as un-Kenyan, un-African and un-Christian and creates a sense of a citizenship that is yet to come: a pan-African, Christian and queer citizenship of love. Thus, the article explores the new possibilities of cultural, sexual and religious citizenship created through popular culture and public space in contemporary Africa

Exploring the dynamics of workplace typologies for sex workers in Eastern Ukraine

We examine the typologies of workplaces for sex workers in Dnipro, Ukraine as part of the larger Dynamics Study, which explores the influence of conflict on sex work. We conducted a cross-sectional survey with 560 women from September 2017 to October 2018. The results of our study demonstrate a diverse sex work environment with heterogeneity across workplace typologies in terms of remuneration, workload, and safety. Women working in higher prestige typologies earned a higher hourly wage, however client volume also varied which resulted in comparable monthly earnings from sex work across almost all workplace types. While sex workers in Dnipro earn a higher monthly wage than the city mean, they also report experiencing high rates of violence and a lack of personal safety at work. Sex workers in all workplaces, with the exception of those working in art clubs, experienced physical and sexual violence perpetrated by law enforcement officers and sex partners. By understanding more about sex work workplaces, programmes may be better tailored to meet the needs of sex workers and respond to changing work environments due to ongoing conflict and COVID-19 pandemic

Transitions: novel study methods to understand early HIV risk among adolescent girls and young women in Mombasa, Kenya, and Dnipro, Ukraine

Transitions aims to understand the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk at critical transition points in the sexual life course of adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) who engage in casual sex, transactional sex, and sex work. In this article, we present the Transitions study methods. The Transitions study has the following objectives: (1) to describe how the characteristics and length of the transition period and access gap vary across two epidemiological contexts (Mombasa, Kenya, and Dnipro, Ukraine); (2) to understand how the risk of HIV varies by length and characteristics of the transition period and access gap across epidemiologic contexts; and (3) to assess the extent to which HIV infections acquired during the transition period and access gap could mitigate the population-level impact of focused interventions for female sex workers and explore the potential marginal benefit of expanding programs to reach AGYW during the transition period and access gap. Cross-sectional biobehavioral data were collected from young women aged 14 to 24 years who were recruited from locations in Mombasa County, Kenya, and Dnipro, Ukraine, where sex work took place. Data are available for 1,299 Kenyan and 1,818 Ukrainian participants. The survey addressed the following areas: timing of transition events (first sex, first exchange of sex for money or other resources, self-identification as sex workers, entry into formal sex work, access to prevention program services); sexual behaviors (condom use, anal sex, sex under the influence of drugs or alcohol); partnerships (regular and first-time clients, regular and first-time transactional sex partners, and husbands and boyfriends); alcohol use; injection and non-injection illicit drug use; experience of violence; access to HIV prevention and treatment program; testing for sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections and HIV; and reproductive health (pregnancies, abortions, contraceptives). HIV and hepatitis C virus prevalence data were based on rapid test results. Mathematical modeling will be used to generate projections of onward HIV transmission at specific transition points in the sexual life course of AGYW. Taken together, these data form a novel data resource providing comprehensive behavioral, structural, and biological data on a high-risk group of AGYW in two distinct sociocultural and epidemiologic contexts