Analysis of the audience reached during Flash Test Week 2015. Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, June 2015
In 2015, a week of rapid HIV testing (Flash-Test) was organized by the Regional Health Agencies (ARS) of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) and Corsica, as well as the Regional Coordinating Bodies for the Fight Against Human Immunodeficiency Virus (CoREVIH) PACA East and PACA West-Corsica. A questionnaire administered to those tested made it possible to analyze the population reached by this initiative. A comparison was conducted between the results from 2015 and 2013. The analysis covered 1,072 individuals. The population was predominantly male and young, with 36% born abroad—figures comparable to those from 2013. However, men who have sex with men (MSM) accounted for nearly 14% of the tested population, people who inject drugs (PWID) for 8.4%, and transgender individuals for 0.8%, a proportion higher than in 2013. Sixty-seven percent of respondents had already taken an HIV test at some point in their lives. During the week, 12 people discovered they were HIV-positive, representing a rate of 1.2% (0.2% in 2013). While it is difficult to conclude that this initiative adds value compared to the existing screening system, the Flash Test intervention proved far more effective than in 2013 in terms of the audience reached and the percentage of positive rapid tests. The 2015 Flash Test thus better targeted people at risk compared to what was observed during the 2013 campaign [3]. These data are encouraging, particularly given the context of rising HIV case counts among MSM in the Alpes-Maritimes and Bouches-du-Rhône departments. However, these results should not obscure the fact that recent uptake of screening tests did not increase between 2013 and 2015 and remains insufficient. Further efforts are needed among the populations targeted by recommendations for repeated testing (MSM, people with multiple sexual partners, IDUs, heterosexual men with multiple partners born in high-prevalence countries, etc.).
Author(s): Ramalli L, Malfait P
Publishing year: 2016
Pages: 30 p.
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