Reaching key populations with community-based HIV test and start services in Lagos and Benue States in Nigeria: Baseline findings

Key populations (KPs), such as men who have sex with men (MSM), female sex workers (FSWs), and people who inject drugs, remain disproportionately affected by HIV compared to the general population. In Nigeria, HIV prevalence declined among the general population from 2007–18. Among key populations from 2007–14, HIV also decreased among FSWs, but increased among MSM. Evidence-based strategies to sustain the decline among the general population and FSWs, and mitigate the increase among MSM, are needed. Nigeria has adopted the World Health Organization’s “test and start” (TnS) strategy, which recommends initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) by persons living with HIV as soon as possible, irrespective of CD4 cell count. In Nigeria, community-based HIV services for KPs are offered through one-stop shops to meet their comprehensive prevention, treatment, and care needs. Project SOAR and partners are implementing a prospective cohort study to assess the effectiveness of community-based TnS models in reaching HIV-positive MSM and FSWs, retaining them on ART, and achieving viral suppression. This brief highlights findings from the baseline survey of MSM and FSWs who tested positive at enrollment