Success Stories: HIV Testing by Friendly Faces in Comfortable Settings

In Laos, LINKAGES is taking both fear of harassment and lack of access out of the testing equation for men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women in three communities. The project introduced a community-based model of HIV testing with OraQuick—a relatively new rapid oral HIV test that requires neither specialized equipment nor highly trained providers to administer it. Community-based testing with OraQuick has numerous benefits.

After the first three months of implementation, CBSs proved that they could reach significant numbers of MSM and trans women with HIV testing using OraQuick. Between October and December 2015, LaoPHA CBSs tested 789 MSM and transgender women using OraQuick: 773 were screened nonreactive (HIV negative), 14 reactive (presumed HIV positive, but needs another test to confirm the results), and 2 invalid. Out of the 16 people who tested reactive or invalid, only 5 went for a confirmatory HIV test. All five were confirmed HIV positive and subsequently enrolled in care.