Guideline

South African HIV self-testing policy and guidance considerations

Francois Venter, Mohammed Majam, Lauren Jankelowitz, Siraaj Adams, Michelle Moorhouse, Sergio Carmona, Wendy Stevens, Busisiwe R. Msimanga, David Allen, Pooja Balani, Zwoitwaho Nevhutalu, Naleni Rhagnath, Amir Shroufi, Walter Devillé, Victoria Kazangarare, Renee van der Wiel, Hugo Templeman, Adrian Puren, Tim Tucker, Gilles van Cutsem, Francesca Conradie, Krista Dong, Thato Chidarikire, Andy Gray
Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine | Vol 18, No 1 | a775 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/sajhivmed.v18i1.775 | © 2017 Francois Venter, Mohammed Majam, Lauren Jankelowitz, Siraaj Adams, Michelle Moorhouse, Sergio Carmona, Wendy Stevens, Busisiwe R. Msimanga, David Allen, Pooja Balani, Zwoitwaho Nevhutalu, Naleni Rhagnath, Amir Shroufi, Walter Devillé, Victoria Kazangarare, Renee van der Wiel, Hugo Templeman, Adrian Puren, Tim Tucker, Gilles van Cutsem, Francesca Conradie, Krista Dong, Thato Chidarikire, Andy Gray | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 19 June 2017 | Published: 26 October 2017

About the author(s)

Francois Venter, HIV Management Cluster, Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute, Johannesburg, South Africa
Mohammed Majam, HIV Management Cluster, Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute, Johannesburg, South Africa
Lauren Jankelowitz, Southern African HIV Clinicians Society, Johannesburg, South Africa
Siraaj Adams, Southern African HIV Clinicians Society, Johannesburg, South Africa
Michelle Moorhouse, Southern African HIV Clinicians Society, Johannesburg, South Africa; Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Sergio Carmona, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
Wendy Stevens, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa; Department of Haematology, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Busisiwe R. Msimanga, World Health Organization, South Africa
David Allen, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Johannesburg, South Africa
Pooja Balani, Southern African HIV Clinicians Society, Johannesburg, South Africa
Zwoitwaho Nevhutalu, South African National AIDS Council, Pretoria, South Africa
Naleni Rhagnath, Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Amir Shroufi, Médecins Sans Frontières, Southern Africa
Walter Devillé, Ndlovu Care Group, Groblersdal, South Africa; Utrecht University Medical Center, Utrecht University, the Netherlands
Victoria Kazangarare, PSI, Johannesburg, South Africa; Society for Family Health, Johannesburg, South Africa
Renee van der Wiel, Wits Institute For Social & Economic Research, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Hugo Templeman, Ndlovu Care Group, Groblersdal, South Africa
Adrian Puren, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa
Tim Tucker, Strategic Evaluation, Advisory and Development Consulting (SEAD), Johannesburg, South Africa
Gilles van Cutsem, Médecins Sans Frontières, Southern Africa; Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Francesca Conradie, Southern African HIV Clinicians Society, Johannesburg, South Africa
Krista Dong, iTEACH, Denton, United States; Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States
Thato Chidarikire, National Department of Health, Pretoria, South Africa
Andy Gray, Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Abstract

The gap in HIV testing remains significant and new modalities such as HIV self-testing (HIVST) have been recommended to reach key and under-tested populations. In December 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) released the Guidelines on HIV Self-Testing and Partner Notification: A Supplement to the Consolidated Guidelines on HIV Testing Services (HTS) and urged member countries to develop HIVST policy and regulatory frameworks. In South Africa, HIVST was included as a supplementary strategy in the National HIV Testing Services Policy in 2016, and recently, guidelines for HIVST were included in the South African National Strategic Plan for HIV, sexually transmitted infections and tuberculosis 2017–2022. This document serves as an additional guidance for the National HIV Testing Services Policy 2016, with specific focus on HIVST. It is intended for policy advocates, clinical and non-clinical HTS providers, health facility managers and healthcare providers in private and public health facilities, non-governmental, community-based and faith-based organisations involved in HTS and outreach, device manufacturers, workplace programmes and institutes of higher education.

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