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Bibliographic Info

Guideline
Year of Publication
Issuing Institution

Recommendation

Status
Maintained

Recommended in favor

Conditional

WHO guidance on HIV testing services. Network-based testing is recommended for all couples and partners, including social network testing

Notes and Remarks

Integration is essential to the delivery of services for pregnant and postpartum women. WHO has developed guidance on the criteria and processes for validation of triple elimination. Additionally, there is guidance to support countries on how to operationalize the scale-up of triple elimination. Tools such as the dual HIV/syphilis test, as well as dual self-tests, can be considered and may be helpful to closing the testing gap among women and their male partners. However, it is critical that early HIV and syphilis treatment is initiated and that women are not lost-to-follow-up. HBV is also a priority and where needed simplified testing and treatment algorithms for women should be used. Opportunities to integrate the offer of testing to include STIs and viral hepatitis should be considered when implementing services for couples and partners. When implementing partner services, particularly when reaching out to the partners, family and household members and social contacts of people diagnosed with HIV, it is important that providers deliver counselling messages, protect client confidentiality and provide information about the range of options that might be suitable for reaching and offering testing, prevention and treatment services to individuals in their network. While provider assistance should be encouraged as it is very effective, such services are always voluntary and different options should be made available based on client preferences and needs. Mandatory or coercive testing is never warranted. In consultation with the client, the provider should assess the risk of harm, the most appropriate approach for testing, including more supportive options such as provider assistance, as well as situations that make couple or partner testing inadvisable. The ultimate decision to test lies with the client. Education about HIV and the latest prevention and treatment options is also critical to supporting couples and partners. Information, such as U=U messages on how ART reduces the risk of HIV transmission to children and sexual partners is important to deliver, as is information about the benefits of partner testing, VMMC and PrEP. Delivering these messages and supporting effective linkage and referrals may help to prevent potential social harm among couples, particularly those that are serodiscordant.

Also Featured In

This recommendation also appears in the following guidelines:

Originally Developed
Guideline

Consolidated guidelines on differentiated HIV testing services.

Year2024
InstitutionWorld Health Organization
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