“HEALTH” PROGRAMMES NEED TO BE DRIVEN BY PREVALENCE AND INCIDENCE: LESSONS FOR GAY, LESBIAN, MSM, WSW, IDUs, TRANSGENDER AND SEX-WORKERS’ TARGETING ORGANISATIONS (MARPS IN UGANDA, 2012)

INTRODUCTION: HIV services and Anti-HIV Practices are vast, after testing people, there is need to have opportunities to motivate communities to change risky sexual behaviours, ensure adherence to life preserving practices, eradicate discrimination and stigma, and referral for those testing positive to treatment facilities. This in turn needs to be beefed up with robust adherence support mechanisms. Incidence reveals the means an organization or country uses to reach out to communities and identify new infections. Organizations or governments should endeavour to motivate people to attend testing without fear of discrimination and stigma. This paper shows a combination of approaches and preparedness.

METHODOLOGY: Desk review of literature and records reveals so many approaches to identifying new HIV infections and ensuring chronic care.

RESULTS: Ranged from owning/domesticating international guidance manual protocols;  to country policies;  through to door to door testing; community based outreaches; targeted interventions; Sero-sorting; Planning around results from National surveys; Needle-Syringe exchange Programmes; Methadone management center activities;  integration of human rights, stigma, discrimination and HIV care; avoiding sexual networks; combination prevention;  treatment as prevention; prevention among positives; partner reduction; negotiated sex agreements; relationship counselling; discordant couple support groups; Home-based testing kits; Microbicide Advocacy; HIV Vaccine-trials; Local government-based anti-HIV groups; Engaging legislation in providing friendly an anti-HIV enabling environment; Engaging print media in positive reporting and writing; Faith-Based anti-HIV initiatives; LGBTI movement building; MSM-experiential overviews; Documenting resilience in hostile environments; Combining diversity and interventions; MARPs-related networks and partnerships; support clinics; referral linkages; friendly drop-in centers; anonymous phone counselling; facebook/twitter/social interactive spaces; integrating HIV/TB/Malaria; mutual monogamy/fidelity support groups and;  New Prevention Technology awareness-raising and education sessions. CONCLUSION: A combination of prevention mechanisms (Bio-medico-structural) are the game changers needed to mete out serious blows against the HIV epidemic. It looks into all sorts of risky behaviours that need to be addressed in order to fight HIV.