Low engagement of key populations in HIV health services in Tanzania: analysis of community, legal and policy factors.

Introduction: key populations (KP) often face legal and social challenges that increase their vulnerability to HIV. These experiences include criminalization, higher levels of stigma and discrimination which negatively affect access to HIV services. This study aims to understand legal, community and policy factors affecting engagement of KP in HIV health interventions. Methods: qualitative research key populations design involving a desk review and stakeholder's engagement. We reviewed program data from NACP on how KP access health services and then conducted three stakeholders' engagement meetings. Factors affecting access to health services by KP were documented. Data were organized using socio-ecological model (SEM). Results: program data showed only 49% of the estimated KP accessed health services. Barriers to accessing health services at the interpersonal level included lack of social support and high-risk networks linked with risk behaviours. At the community, stigma and discrimination, limited engagement of influential leaders were noted. In health facilities, lack of trained staff to provide KP friendly services affected utilization of health services. At structural level, despite improvements, still various laws negated engagement of KP such criminalizing drug use, same sex, and sex work. Harassments and arrests further marginalize KP and makes access to health intervention harder. Conclusion: engagement of key population into HIV health interventions was limited at multiple levels. The study recommends building capacity on KP friendly services for communities, law enforcement and health care providers, further engagement of communities including religious leaders on KP issues and implementing differentiated service delivery models for KP.

Modelling the impact of HIV and HCV prevention and treatment interventions for people who inject drugs in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

INTRODUCTION: People who inject drugs (PWID) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, have a high prevalence of HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV). While needle and syringe programmes (NSP), opioid agonist therapy (OAT) and anti-retroviral therapy (ART) are available in Tanzania, their coverage is sub-optimal. We assess the impact of existing and scaled up harm reduction (HR) interventions on HIV and HCV transmission among PWID in Dar es Salaam. METHODS: An HIV and HCV transmission model among PWID in Tanzania was calibrated to data over 2006-2018 on HIV (∼30% and ∼67% prevalence in males and females in 2011) and HCV prevalence (∼16% in 2017), numbers on HR interventions (5254 ever on OAT in 2018, 766-1479 accessing NSP in 2017) and ART coverage (63.1% in 2015). We evaluated the impact of existing interventions in 2019 and impact by 2030 of scaling-up the coverage of OAT (to 50% of PWID), NSP (75%, both combined termed "full HR") and ART (81% with 90% virally suppressed) from 2019, reducing sexual HIV transmission by 50%, and/or HCV-treating 10% of PWID infected with HCV annually. RESULTS: The model projects HIV and HCV prevalence of 19.0% (95% credibility interval: 16.4-21.2%) and 41.0% (24.4-49.0%) in 2019, respectively. For HIV, 24.6% (13.6-32.6%) and 70.3% (59.3-77.1%) of incident infections among male and female PWID are sexually transmitted, respectively. Due to their low coverage (22.8% for OAT, 16.3% for NSP in 2019), OAT and NSP averted 20.4% (12.9-24.7%) of HIV infections and 21.7% (17.0-25.2%) of HCV infections in 2019. Existing ART (68.5% coverage by 2019) averted 48.1% (29.7-64.3%) of HIV infections in 2019. Scaling up to full HR will reduce HIV and HCV incidence by 62.6% (52.5-74.0%) and 81.4% (56.7-81.4%), respectively, over 2019-2030; scaled up ART alongside full HR will decrease HIV incidence by 66.8% (55.6-77.5%), increasing to 81.5% (73.7-87.5%) when sexual risk is also reduced. HCV-treatment alongside full HR will decrease HCV incidence by 92.4% (80.7-95.8%) by 2030. CONCLUSIONS: Combination interventions, including sexual risk reduction and HCV treatment, are needed to eliminate HCV and HIV among PWID in Tanzania.