Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Feb 26;18(2 Suppl 1):19433.
doi: 10.7448/IAS.18.2.19433. eCollection 2015.

HIV testing and linkage to services for youth

Ann E Kurth  1 , Michelle A Lally  2   3 , Augustine T Choko  4 , Irene W Inwani  5 , J Dennis Fortenberry  6
Affiliations

HIV testing and linkage to services for youth

Ann E Kurth et al. J Int AIDS Soc. .

Abstract

Introduction: HIV testing is the portal to serostatus knowledge that can empower linkage to care for HIV treatment and HIV prevention. However, young people's access to HIV testing is uneven worldwide. The objective of this paper is to review the context and concerns faced by youth around HIV testing in low- as well as high-income country settings.

Discussion: HIV testing is a critical entry point for primary and secondary prevention as well as care and treatment for young people including key populations of vulnerable youth. We provide a framework for thinking about the role of testing in the continuum of prevention and care for young people. Brief case study examples from Kenya and the US illustrate some of the common barriers and issues involved for young people.

Conclusions: Young people worldwide need more routine access to HIV testing services that effectively address the developmental, socio-political and other issues faced by young women and men.

Keywords: HIV continuum of care; HIV testing; adolescents; development; key populations; youth.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Framework for HIV services for youth in the HIV continuum.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. UNAIDS. Fact Sheet: UNAIDS's vision: zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. 2012. Zero AIDS-related deaths [Internet], [cited 2015 Jan 29]. Available from: http://www.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/documents/factsheet/....
    1. Idele P, Gillespie A, Porth T, Suzuki C, Mahy M, Kasedde S, et al. Epidemiology of HIV and AIDS among adolescents: current status, inequities, and data gaps. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2014;66(Suppl 2):S144–53. - PubMed
    1. UNICEF. Opportunity in Crisis: preventing HIV from early adolescence to young adulthood [Internet] 2011. [cited 2015 Jan 29]. Available from: http://www.unicef.org/publications/files/Opportunity_in_Crisis-Report_EN....
    1. Peralta L, Deeds BG, Hipszer S, Ghalib K. Barriers and facilitators to adolescent HIV testing. AIDS Patient Care STDS. 2007;21(6):400–8. - PubMed
    1. Kann L, Kinchen S, Shanklin SL, Flint KH, Kawkins J, Harris WA, et al. Youth risk behavior surveillance – United States, 2013. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2014;63(Suppl 4):1–168. - PubMed