LINKAGES Quarterly Report (January 1 to March 31, 2019)

Services included HIV testing, health education, referral for clinical services, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) services. Psychosocial support was also provided through regular support group meetings. LINKAGES focused on reducing the number of routine outreaches while maximizing targeted testing to improve case finding, linkage to care and treatment, and viral suppression. Quality control was ensured through routine data quality assessments (RDQA) and internal site improvement monitoring systems (SIMS). The project achieved its KP_PREV target of 65% for FSW and 100% for MSM/MSW, and 54% of PWID targets. A total of 37,314 FSW, 9,932 MSM/MSW, and 1,389 PWID received HIV prevention services. Among FSW, 8,859 were reached for the first time, and 47% of them were reached for the first time ever by the program. Among MSM/MSW, 3,771 were reached for the first time, and 39% of them were reached for the first time ever by the program. A total of 2,703 needles and syringes were distributed to PWID on medically assisted therapy (MAT), and 5.71 million male condoms, 80,285 lubricants, and 110,896 female condoms were distributed. HIV testing services (HTS) were provided to 18,841 FSW, 5,209 MSM/MSW, and 701 PWID during the quarter. A total of 17,744 (14,183 FSW and 3,561 MSM/MSW) KP tested for the first time in FY19. The project achieved its HTS annual target of 53% (n=26,482) for FSW and 93% (n=7,077) for MSM/MSW. Newly diagnosed individuals with HIV were 268, including 186 FSW, 79 MSM, and three PWID. The prevention and treatment cascade for FSW, MSM/MSW, and PWID showed significant progress. For FSW, 48,182 were reached with HIV prevention interventions, 45,531 were referred for HIV testing, and 26,482 (58%) were tested. A total of 2,510 were enrolled with known HIV+ status, and 2,780 were initiated on ART. For MSM/MSW, 13,907 were reached with HIV prevention interventions, 12,872 were eligible for testing, and 7,077 were tested. A total of 142 were newly diagnosed as HIV positive, and 107 were linked to treatment. For PWID, 1,389 were reached with HIV prevention interventions, 889 were referred for HIV testing, and 701 (63%) were tested. Three were newly diagnosed as HIV positive, and none were linked to treatment. The project achieved 52% (n=26,482) of HTS targets for FSW and 89% (n=7,077) of MSM/MSW targets for the year. Innovative strategies such as index testing, risk network referral testing, and partner notification services were initiated to enhance testing coverage and case identification among FSW and MSM. Among PWID, 701 (33%, n=2,118) target achievement was realized by the end of the period, testing 56% of all eligible PWID reached by the program.