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Uptake of a Partner Notification Model for HIV Among Men Who Have Sex With Men and Transgender Women in Tijuana, Mexico

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Abstract

Undiagnosed HIV infection is common among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TW) in Latin America. We examined uptake of a partner notification (PN) model among MSM and TW in Tijuana, Mexico. Forty-six HIV-positive MSM/TW enrolled as index patients, and reported 132 MSM/TW sexual partners for PN. Of notified partners (90/132), 39% declined eligibility screening or participation, 39% tested for HIV, and of those 28% were newly-diagnosed HIV-positive. Partners who were seen by the index patient more than once in the past 4 months and those who primarily had sex with the index patient in one of their homes were more likely to be notified via PN (76% vs. 50%; p = 0.01 and 86% vs. 64%, p = 0.02, respectively). Lower than expected PN uptake was associated with problems identifying index patients, obtaining reliable partner contact information, and engaging notified partners.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Grant R01DA037811 to TP. Preparation of this manuscript was supported by a NIDA K01DA040543 Mentored Research Scientist Development Award to HAP.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Shirley J. Semple, Alicia Harvey Vera & Thomas L. Patterson

  2. Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Heather A. Pines & Steffanie A. Strathdee

  3. US-Mexico Border Health Commission, Tijuana, Mexico

    Gudelia Rangel

  4. Centro Nacional para la Prevención y Control del VIH/SIDA (CENSIDA), Mexico City, Mexico

    Carlos Magis-Rodriguez

  5. Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, Mail Code 0680, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0680, USA

    Thomas L. Patterson

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  1. Shirley J. Semple
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  2. Heather A. Pines
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  3. Steffanie A. Strathdee
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  4. Alicia Harvey Vera
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Correspondence to Thomas L. Patterson.

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All research methods were reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Boards at the University of California, San Diego and Xochicalco University in Tijuana, Mexico. All procedures were conducted in accordance with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its amendments.

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Written informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in this study.

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Semple, S.J., Pines, H.A., Strathdee, S.A. et al. Uptake of a Partner Notification Model for HIV Among Men Who Have Sex With Men and Transgender Women in Tijuana, Mexico. AIDS Behav 22, 2042–2055 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-017-1984-2

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