Gaps in HIV Testing and Treatment Among Female Sex Workers in Lae and Mt. Hagen, Papua New Guinea.

We conducted biobehavioral surveys among female sex workers (FSW) in Lae and Mt. Hagen, Papua New Guinea (January-December 2017). Respondent-driven sampling was used to recruit FSW aged ≥ 12 years, who were assigned female sex at birth, who spoke English or Tok Pisin, and who sold or exchanged sex for money, goods, or services in the last 6 months. When adjusted for viral suppression, 48.9% of FSW Lae and 61.9% in Mt. Hagen were aware of their HIV positive status. Of these women, 95.3% in Lae and 98.9% in Mt. Hagen were on antiretroviral therapy, and of these, 83.5% in Lae and 87.0% in Mt. Hagen had suppressed viral load. Renewed efforts are needed to increase HIV testing among FSW and provide support to FSW on treatment in both cities to attain viral suppression.

Considerable distance to reach 90-90-90 targets among female sex workers, men who have sex with men and transgender women in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea: findings from a cross-sectional respondent-driven sampling survey.

OBJECTIVE: To characterise the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS 90-90-90 cascade among female sex workers (FSW) and men who have sex with men (MSM)/transgender women (TGW) in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (PNG). METHODS: We conducted respondent-driven sampling surveys among FSW and MSM/TGW in Port Moresby, PNG from June to October 2016. All participants spoke English or Tok Pisin and were aged >12 years. FSW had to be born female and sell/exchange sex with a male in the past 6 months. MSM/TGW had to be born male and have oral/anal sex with another male-born person in the past 6 months. Participants were interviewed and offered rapid HIV diagnostic and viral load testing. HIV viral suppression (VS) was defined as <1000 copies/mL. RESULTS: We recruited 674 FSW and 400 MSM/TGW; HIV prevalence was 15.2% (95% CI 11.7 to 18.8) and 8.5% (95% CI 5.0 to 11.9), respectively. Among FSW living with HIV, 39.0% (95% CI 26.6 to 51.4) self-reported having been diagnosed; of them 79.6% (95% CI 62.7 to 96.5) self-reported being on antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 54.1% (95% CI 31.8 to 76.4) achieved VS. Among MSM/TGW living with HIV, 24.4% (95% CI 4.7 to 44.1) self-reported having been diagnosed; of them 43.9% (95% CI 33.6 to 54.8) self-reported being on ART, and 86.1% (95% CI 71.1 to 93.9) achieved VS. CONCLUSIONS: ART use among those aware of their HIV status is encouraging. However, the generally low awareness of infection status among FSW and MSM/TGW with HIV and the low VS among FSW on ART indicate an urgent need for innovative strategies to increase testing uptake and ART adherence among these populations. Monitoring drug resistance may be warranted.

One size does not fit all: HIV prevalence and correlates of risk for men who have sex with men, transgender women in multiple cities in Papua New Guinea.

BACKGROUND: Biobehavioral data about men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW) in Papua New Guinea (PNG) are limited to those who sell sex. Information about those MSM and TGW who do not sell sex is necessary to guide HIV prevention and treatment efforts. METHODS: We conducted respondent-driven sampling (RDS) surveys among MSM and TGW in Port Moresby, Lae, and Mt. Hagen, PNG from in 2016 and 2017. Eligibility criteria was: aged > 12 years, born male, could speak English or Tok Pisin and had oral or anal sex with another person born male in the past 6 months. Participants were interviewed face-to-face and offered rapid HIV testing. Weighted data analysis was conducted using RDS-Analyst (v. 0.62). RESULTS: We enrolled 400 participants in Port Moresby, 352 in Lae, and 111 in Mt. Hagen. In the last six months, 73.2% of MSM/TGW in Port Moresby, 77.9% in Lae, and 75.9% in Mt. Hagen, had a concurrent sexual partnership. Upwards of 70% of MSM/TGW in all three cities had sex with a woman in the same period. Less than half of MSM/TGW had ever tested for HIV. HIV prevalence among MSM/TGW was 8.5% in Port Moresby and 6.9% in Lae. Among participants in Mt. Hagen it was 1.3%. HIV was associated with not having sex with a woman in the last six months and sexually transmitted disease symptoms in the last 12 months in Port Moresby and Lae. In Port Moresby, it was also associated with an uncut foreskin, and in Lae with earning income in the formal sector and being unable to rely on other MSM or TGW to accompany them to healthcare services. CONCLUSIONS: The large proportion of MSM and TGW with concurrent sexual partnerships, combined with the low testing coverage, indicates strong potential for the spread of HIV. The different correlates of HIV in Port Moresby and Lae highlight the importance of conducting surveys in multiple locations and using data to develop locally appropriate interventions even within a country.