HIV self-testing in adolescents living in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Less than 20% of African adolescents aged 10-19 years are aware of their HIV status, whereas HIV screening remains the gateway to care and while AIDS has become the leading cause of death among adolescents in Sub-Saharan Africa. According to the UNAIDS target, scalable HIV testing strategies specific to various age groups, populations, and geographical areas must be implemented to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. Many African countries have implemented policies supporting HIV self-testing (HIVST). Evidence of practicability and efficiency of HIVST in Sub-Saharan Africa settings has been reported, including HIVST data among adolescents. Adapted strategies of HIVST are urgently needed to promote HIV testing among adolescents living in sub-Saharan Africa.

HIV self-testing in Africa: stakes and challenges.

HIV self-testing constitutes a new complementary strategy for HIV testing for general populations as well as "key" populations such as sex workers and their clients, men who have sex with men, and young people; it may help to reach the UNAIDS 90-90-90 objectives by 2020. In Africa, many pilot studies have been conducted, mainly in English-speaking countries, and they have demonstrated the high acceptability, practicability and clinical performance of HIV self-testing. Innovative strategies, including the translation of HIV self-test instructions for use into vernacular languages in association with educational pictograms, should be developed and evaluated in sub-Saharan Africa to implement HIV self-testing.