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HSRC Annual Report 2016/17
not only in South Africa, but also in the rest of Africa. Moreover, the study will not only do HIV antibody testing (to test
for HIV prevalence), but also antiretroviral testing, HIV viral load testing (to test the level of HIV in the body), screening
for TB and testing for STIs. This means that for the first time we will not only be able to document the HIV prevalence
amongst trans women in South Africa, but we will also have data that can be utilised to monitor the sequential steps or
stages of HIV medical care (i.e. the care and treatment cascade) that trans women go through from initial diagnosis to
achieving the goal of viral suppression (a very low level of HIV in the body), and shows the proportion of trans women
living with HIV who are engaged at each stage.
Brokering knowledge-based solutions towards an HIV-free generation beyond South Africa
Vikela Umndeni/Protect Your Family Intervention Project
HAST researchers are collaborating with researchers from Miami University, USA and Mahidol University in Thailand to
implement this comprehensive prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) and HIV prevention project for
South African couples in two districts in Mpumalanga. The study is testing the effectiveness of a behavioural intervention
to increase PMTCT uptake among HIV positive, pregnant women and is also testing whether the participation of male
partners will have an additional positive impact on PMTCT uptake. The intervention is utilising a combination of both
gender-concordant groups and individual or couples counselling strategies, before and after the birth of the baby. The
project started in January 2014 and will end in December 2018.
Southern Africa Development Community (SADC)
SAHARA researchers are offering a combination package of HIV prevention interventions and services (CPHI) for MSM in
southern Africa. The overarching aim of this collaborative study between SAHARA, Johns Hopkins and Emory Universities
is to develop an optimised CPHI for MSM in southern Africa. The study involves following a prospective cohort of 200
MSM who live and work in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Kampala over a 12-month period.
Mapping and Population Size Estimate Study and Integrated Biological and Behavioural Surveillance Survey
among MSM in Ghana (Ghana Men’s Study II)
Researchers at the HAST Research Programme serve as technical advisors on the Ghana Men’s Study (II) (GMS II). The
GMS II is a mapping and population size estimate (MPSE) study and an Integrated Biological and Behavioral Surveillance
Survey (IBBSS) to estimate the HIV prevalence among MSM in Ghana. The study was commissioned by the Ghana AIDS
Commission (GAC), and funded by the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), through the
United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The GMS II is a critical study as it is undertaking to estimate
not only HIV prevalence amongst MSM in a country where MSM behaviours are criminalised, the study also intends to
generate estimates of the size of the MSM population and the distribution of MSM in each mapping site. Estimates of
the size of the MSM population are needed to help with decisions on how and where resources should be allocated
for better programme planning and management. All research activities are being conducted in ten regional capital
cities of Ghana, namely, Kumasi, Sunyani, Accra, Cape Coast, Koforidua, Tamale, Sekondi-Takoradi, Bolgatanga, Wa and
Ho. The HAST is working with a local implementing partner based at the School of Medicine, at the Kwame Nkrumah
University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana. In many ways, the GMS II has paved the way for future
collaborations between the HSRC and leading research and academic institutions in West Africa such as the KNUST.
Impact on South African citizens
The Health of our Educators and Officials in Public Schools in South Africa Survey
In 2016, HAST and the DBE completed this national survey to determine the changes that have occurred in the HIV
epidemic and the impact of interventions since the last survey in 2006. The cumulative HIV prevalence among educators
was 15.3%, translating to approximately 58 000 educators living with HIV in 2015. This was 1.2 times higher than was
found in the 2004 survey (15.3% vs 12.7%). HIV prevalence was significantly higher among females compared to males
(16.4% vs 12.7%). HIV incidence was estimated at 0.84%, translating to an estimated 2 900 new infections in 2015. HIV
incidence was 1.3 times higher among females compared to males. Among the estimated 58 000 educators living
with HIV, 55.7% were exposed to antiretroviral drugs (ARVs). The majority of male educators (60%) indicated that they
were circumcised. Knowledge about risk behaviour and transmission of HIV was high at 89.5% and most educators had
positive attitudes towards people living with HIV.
PART B: Performance Overview