Unexpectedly high HIV prevalence among female sex workers in Bangkok, Thailand in a respondent-driven sampling survey

OBJECTIVE To investigate differences in HIV infection- related risk practices by Female Sex Workers according to workplace and the effects of homophily on estimating HIV prevalence. METHODS Data from 2,523 women, recruited using Respondent-Driven Sampling, were used for the study carried out in 10 Brazilian cities in 2008-2009. The study included female sex workers aged 18 and over. The questionnaire was completed by the subjects and included questions on characteristics of professional activity, sexual practices, use of drugs, HIV testing, and access to health services. HIV quick tests were conducted. The participants were classified in two groups according to place of work: on the street or indoor venues, like nightclubs and saunas. To compare variable distributions by place of work, we used Chi-square homogeneity tests, taking into consideration unequal selection probabilities as well as the structure of dependence between observations. We tested the effect of homophily by workplace on estimated HIV prevalence. RESULTS The highest HIV risk practices were associated with: working on the streets, lower socioeconomic status, low regular smear test coverage, higher levels of crack use and higher levels of syphilis serological scars as well as higher prevalence of HIV infection. The effect of homophily was higher among sex workers in indoor venues. However, it did not affect the estimated prevalence of HIV, even after using a post-stratification by workplace procedure. CONCLUSIONS The findings suggest that strategies should focus on extending access to, and utilization of, health services. Prevention policies should be specifically aimed at street workers. Regarding the application of Respondent-Driven Sampling, the sample should be sufficient to estimate transition probabilities, as the network develops more quickly among sex workers in indoor venues.

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Engagement in the HIV care cascade and barriers to antiretroviral therapy uptake among female sex workers in Port Elizabeth, South Africa: findings from a respondent-driven sampling study

Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽

10.1136/sextrans-2016-052773 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 93 (4) ◽

pp. 290-296 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Sheree Schwartz ◽

Andrew Lambert ◽

Nancy Phaswana-Mafuya ◽

Zamakayise Kose ◽

Mfezi Mcingana ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Antiretroviral Therapy ◽

Sex Workers ◽

Female Sex Workers ◽

Hiv Care ◽

Respondent Driven Sampling ◽

Hiv Care Cascade ◽

Female Sex ◽

Care Cascade ◽

Port Elizabeth

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Correlates of HIV prevalence among female sex workers in four north and east Indian states: findings of a national bio-behavioural survey

International Journal of STD & AIDS ◽

10.1177/0956462418799018 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 120-130 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Gunjika Misra ◽

Damodar Sahu ◽

Umenthala S Reddy ◽

Saritha Nair

Keyword(s):

Sex Work ◽

Sex Workers ◽

Female Sex Workers ◽

Uttar Pradesh ◽

Hiv Prevalence ◽

Indian States ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

East Indian ◽

Female Sex ◽

Behavioural Surveillance

The socio-demographic, sex work characteristics and the factors affecting HIV prevalence among female sex workers (FSWs) are not well known in low prevalence states showing rising trends within the HIV epidemic. This paper studies these attributes among FSWs in three north (Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh) and one east Indian states (Jharkhand). Integrated Biological and Behavioural Surveillance (IBBS) data, collected from 4491 FSWs in the study states, were analysed, with HIV status as the dependent variable and several socio-demographic, sex work, knowledge and agency characteristics as independent variables. Multivariate analysis found a number of factors such as age above 25 years (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 5.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.4–18.1), client solicitation in rented rooms (AOR 2.8, 95% CI 1.2–6.4) and the use of mobile phones for client solicitation (AOR 5.1, 95% CI 1.6–16.0) to be significantly associated with HIV risk. The study found low levels of HIV programme services uptake and HIV/AIDS knowledge among FSWs in the study states. There is an urgent need to focus on these risk factors for improving the effectiveness of the ongoing HIV prevention efforts and attaining the ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ goal of ‘Ending the AIDS epidemic’ by 2030.

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Characterizing Multi-level Determinants of HIV Prevalence Among Female Sex Workers in Maseru and Maputsoe, Lesotho

AIDS and Behavior ◽

10.1007/s10461-019-02495-8 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 24 (3) ◽

pp. 714-723 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mitra Moazzami ◽

Sosthenes Ketende ◽

Carrie Lyons ◽

Amrita Rao ◽

Noah Taruberekera ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sex Workers ◽

Female Sex Workers ◽

Hiv Prevalence ◽

Female Sex ◽

Multi Level

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Association Between System Reach and Exposure to Interventions and Characteristics of Mobile Female Sex Workers in Four High HIV Prevalence States in India

Global Journal of Health Science ◽

10.5539/gjhs.v7n4p83 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Varun Sharma ◽

Niranjan Saggurti ◽

Shalini Bharat

Keyword(s):

Sex Workers ◽

Female Sex Workers ◽

Hiv Prevalence ◽

Female Sex

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Prevalence and incidence of HIV among female sex workers and their clients: modelling the potential effects of intervention in Rwanda

BMJ Global Health ◽

10.1136/bmjgh-2020-002300 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (8) ◽

pp. e002300

Author(s):

Sabin Nsanzimana ◽

Edward J Mills ◽

Ofir Harari ◽

Placidie Mugwaneza ◽

Etienne Karita ◽

...

Keyword(s):

General Population ◽

Condom Use ◽

Sex Workers ◽

Female Sex Workers ◽

Hiv Prevalence ◽

Consistent Condom ◽

People Living With Hiv ◽

Hiv Incidence ◽

Female Sex ◽

Hiv Epidemic

BackgroundRwanda has identified several targeted HIV prevention strategies, such as promotion of condom use and provision of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for female sex workers (FSWs). Given this country’s limited resources, understanding how the HIV epidemic will be affected by these strategies is crucial.MethodsWe developed a Markov model to estimate the effects of targeted strategies to FSWs on the HIV prevalence/incidence in Rwanda from 2017 to 2027. Our model consists of the six states: HIV-; HIV+ undiagnosed/diagnosed pre-ART; HIV+ diagnosed with/without ART; and death. We considered three populations: FSWs, sex clients and the general population. For the period 2017–2027, the HIV epidemic among each of these population was estimated using Rwanda’s demographic, sexual risk behaviour and HIV-associated morbidity and mortality data.ResultsBetween 2017 and 2027, with no changes in the current condom and ART use, the overall number of people living with HIV is expected to increase from 344,971 to 402,451. HIV incidence will also decrease from 1.36 to 1.20 100 person-years. By 2027, a 30% improvement in consistent condom use among FSWs will result in absolute reduction of HIV prevalence among FSWs, sex clients and the general population by 7.86%, 5.97% and 0.17%, respectively. While recurring HIV testing and improving the ART coverage mildly reduced the prevalence/incidence among FSWs and sex clients, worsening the two (shown by our worst-case scenario) will result in an increase in the HIV prevalence/incidence among FSWs and sex clients. Introduction of PrEP to FSWs in 2019 will reduce the HIV incidence among FSWs by 1.28%.ConclusionsContinued efforts toward improving condom and ART use will be critical for Rwanda to continue their HIV epidemic control. Implementing a targeted intervention strategy in PrEP for FSWs will reduce the HIV epidemic in this high-risk population.

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