‘Critically low’ awareness of HIV status among gay men in Africa
The analysis, which reviewed 75 studies from 28 African countries involving just under 45,000 men who have sex with men, also found a link between countries with severe anti-LGBT legislation and lower levels of testing and status awareness among this population group. The study assessed the extent by which African-based men who have sex with men have engaged with the HIV treatment cascade over time, and the effect of anti-LGBT legislation on testing, treatment and viral suppression. HIV testing among men who have sex with men was found to have increased over time. After 2011, 67% of men who have sex with men had tested for HIV at least once, and half (50%) had tested in the past 12 months. Before this, around half (52%) had tested at least once and around a third (32%) had tested in the past 12 months. But despite the rise in testing, only 19% of HIV-positive men who have sex with men were aware of their status, only a quarter (24%) were on treatment, and a quarter (25%) ...