LINKAGES Laos FY18-Q4 Quarterly Progress Report

The project focused on men who have sex with men (MSM), male sex workers (MSW), transgender women (TG), and TG sex workers (TGSW) in nine districts of Vientiane Capital, two districts of Savannakhet province, and two districts of Champasak province. During the last quarter of fiscal year 2018 (FY18-Q4), LINKAGES Laos continued to support the implementation of the EPM model, which served key populations in the three provinces. The project organized quarterly meetings in each province to discuss achievements and coordinate/monitor the implementation of activities. The LINKAGES Laos team provided monthly coaching in the implementation of EPM, and data quality assurance (DQA) was conducted by provincial teams with the assistance of LINKAGES Laos. Key results at the end of FY18-Q4 included a total of 1,264 MSM and TG reached and provided with the comprehensive package of prevention (KP_PREV) by LINKAGES Laos partners, resulting in a total of 2,471 MSM and TG reached during the second semester of FY18. This represented a 13% decrease from Semester 1 but still exceeded the annual target of 4,420. The total reach during FY18 was 120% of the annual target for KP_PREV. In terms of HIV testing and counseling services, a total of 820 MSM and TG received HIV tests and their results in Q4, and 79 were diagnosed HIV-positive. The total tested during FY18 accounted for 101% of the annual target for HIV testing services, while the total number of individuals diagnosed HIV-positive during the same period accounted for 195% of the annual target. The project also reported significant achievements in terms of antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation and retention. A total of 297 MSM and TG were initiated on ART during FY18, representing 248% of the annual target. At the end of FY18, 87% of HIV-positive MSM and TG enrolled in the LINKAGES Laos cohort were known to still be on treatment 12 months after initiation of ART, a three-percentage-point drop against the annual target. The project also reported that 359 MSM and TG from the LINKAGES Laos cohort had been on ART for at least 90 days with HIV viral load results recorded in the national database, and out of these, 342 (95%) had undetectable viral load, a five-percentage-point above the annual target. The consistent decrease in performance across the three provinces from Semester 1 to Semester 2 was mainly due to the stockout of OraQuick kits during FY18-Q3, which made it difficult for CBS to attract and reach their peers. However, total reach for KP_PREV-DSD in FY18 exceeded targets for all three provinces, with 113% in VTE CPT, 135% in SVK, and 127% in CPS. The project's achievements in FY18 were significant, with total reach for KP_PREV-DSD exceeding targets for all three provinces. The project's focus on key populations and its efforts to improve data quality and reporting will be crucial in achieving the project's goals and objectives in the future.