The WHO Department of HIV plans to release new guidance for countries concerning HIV testing services, which will include updated and consolidated recommendations.
Countries are working towards the 90-90-90 targets proposed by UNAIDS, which call for a scale-up of HIV testing so that 90% of people with HIV are aware of their infection, 90% of people diagnosed with HIV are linked to antiretroviral treatment (ART) and 90% of those on ART adhere and have undetectable levels of HIV in their blood.
To reach the first 90 — diagnosing 90% of people with HIV who do not know their HIV status — countries need to improve the effectiveness of their HIV testing services and reach people with HIV who are undiagnosed so they can be linked to HIV prevention, care and treatment. Countries have indicated to WHO that the consolidation of guidance for HIV testing services will help them achieve this goal.
The new guidelines focus on HIV testing services (HTS) to capture the full range of services that should be provided together with HIV testing. All HIV testing services should continue to be provided within WHO's essential 5Cs: Consent, Confidentiality, Counselling, Correct test results and Connection (linkage to prevention, care and treatment). This includes pre-test information, post-test counselling, linkage to appropriate HIV prevention, care and treatment services and other clinical and support services, quality HIV testing, accurate test results and diagnosis, and coordination with laboratory services to support quality assurance.
The consolidated HIV testing guidelines are the result of a combination of existing guidance and new recommendations. It is hoped they will provide more comprehensive guidance that will assist countries in selecting approaches to deliver HIV testing services more efficiently and effectively, assure the accuracy of HIV testing and diagnosis, and improve the quality of HIV testing services. The guidance will also include new recommendations to help countries scale-up their capacity to administer quality HIV testing services, particularly in community settings.
WHO plans to release the new guidelines at the 8th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment & Prevention taking place in Vancouver, Canada on 19-22 July 2015.
