Identifying undiagnosed HIV infected individuals in a community-based door to door testing initiative in outbreak affected areas of Larkana and surrounding districts, Pakistan.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In April 2019, an outbreak of HIV was reported in Larkana district of Sindh province, Pakistan. The outbreak primarily affected children and was associated with unsafe injections in healthcare settings. Testing services delivered from health care facilities continued to identify new HIV infections in Larkana and surrounding districts. We describe a community-based educate, test and treat initiative implemented in these areas to identify undiagnosed HIV infections in the community. We analyzed the data to describe HIV-positivity, linkage to care and HIV risk exposure among diagnosed persons.

Methods

HIV rapid testing was offered door-to-door to people 18 months to 60 years of age who were not known to be HIV-positive. Testing was conducted in 12 union councils (UCs

SUBMITTER: Jamil MS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12810572 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature