"I was scared dating… who would take me with my status?"-Living with HIV in the era of UTT and U = U: A qualitative study in Johannesburg, South Africa.

ABSTRACT: South Africa rolled out Universal Test-and-Treat (UTT) in 2016, extending treatment eligibility to all persons living with HIV (PLHIV). We sought to understand how PLHIV in Johannesburg, South Africa, interpret and experience their HIV status, five years into the UTT era. In May 2021, we conducted in-depth interviews (IDI) (N = 27) with adult (≥18 years) PLHIV referred by HIV counsellors at three peri-urban primary healthcare clinics. We also conducted three focus group discussions (FGDs) (N = 27) with adult PLHIV recruited from clinics or from civil society organisations through snowball sampling. Follow-up interviews were conducted with 29 IDI and FGD participants. Participants were asked to reflect on their HIV diagnosis, what their HIV status meant to them and how, if at all, being HIV

SUBMITTER: Sineke T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10575521 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature