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. 2020 Feb;24(2):506-515.
doi: 10.1007/s10461-019-02730-2.

Use of HIV Self-Testing Kits to Screen Clients Among Transgender Female Sex Workers in New York and Puerto Rico

Rebecca Giguere  1 , Javier Lopez-Rios  2   3 , Timothy Frasca  2 , Cody Lentz  2 , Iván C Balán  2 , Curtis Dolezal  2 , Christine Tagliaferri Rael  2 , William Brown 3rd  2   4   5   6 , Alan Z Sheinfil  2   7 , Catherine Cruz Torres  8 , Raynier Crespo  8 , Irma Febo  8 , Alex Carballo-Diéguez  2
Affiliations

Use of HIV Self-Testing Kits to Screen Clients Among Transgender Female Sex Workers in New York and Puerto Rico

Rebecca Giguere et al. AIDS Behav. 2020 Feb.

Abstract

Transgender female sex workers (TFSW) are highly affected by HIV, with a global prevalence of 27%. HIV self-testing (HIVST) to screen sexual partners has helped men who have sex with men and female sex workers make informed sexual decisions and avoid HIV exposure. This is the first report on TFSW's experiences screening clients using HIVST. Ten TFSW were each given ten HIVST kits and returned after 3 months to complete an online questionnaire and undergo an interview. Eight of them reported using HIVST with potential partners. Among fifty potential partners who were asked in person to test, 42 (84%) were clients. Thirty-four out of fifty (68%) accepted and 16 (32%) refused. Very few violent incidents occurred, and participants felt empowered by offering HIVST to others. Nevertheless, HIVST market cost was prohibitive for future use. HIVST use with clients could be feasible for TFSW if the cost were lowered or subsidized.

Keywords: HIV prevention; Self-testing; Sex work; Transgender.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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