Folks from our MCHIP team have been busy in Vienna, Austria this week attending and presenting at the XVIII International AIDS Conference!!

In the presentation titled “Surgical Time and Number of Procedures Conducted during Training Varies by Type of Adult Male Circumcision Procedure: What Is the Implication for Programs?” we learned that a forceps-guide (FG) technique for male circumcision (MC) is the fastest technique for newly trained providers as compared to dorsal slit (DS) and sleeve resection (SR)! This finding is relevant for Ministries of Health who are designing rapid scale up of adult MC, especially since impact models suggest 80% coverage in the East and Southern Africa region would avert 4 million new HIV infections by 2025. Wow!

“Results of a Cervical Cancer Screening Intervention among HIV-Positive Women in Semi-Urban South Africa” shared with the Vienna crowd results of a six-month observational study of cervical cancer screening at a semi-urban hospital in North West Province, South Africa using Visual Inspection with acetic acid (VIA) and cryotherapy. VIA is a method of screening for cervical cancer in which the health provider paints the cervix with acetic acid and visualizes any changes consistent with HPV-associated CIN, the precursor to cancer. Cryotherapy involves treating cervical precancer through freezing the cervix. Both do not require electricity and can be performed at the primary health care setting, making them relevant for semi-urban areas.
 
Our MCHIP team looked at how training professional nurses on VIA and cryotherapy, mentoring them in the techniques using direct observation and providing ongoing supportive supervision significantly scaled up the screening and management of HIV-infected women. Findings revealed that the application of such a simple method of screening as VIA made a huge difference in service outputs and that the approach of this intervention should be explored by operational research in other public health areas to increase service delivery. Way to go, MCHIP!

HIV testing uptake in Male Circumcision varies tremendously by country but the MCHIP team took a look at a different way of doing business and found that“Opt-Out HIV Testing Leads to Nearly Universal Uptake among Male Circumcision Clients in Tanzania”  In Tanzania, 4.8 million people have been tested for HIV thanks to the work of MCHIP and a combination of approaches during male circumcision services, including education, training of counselors and the implementation of a National HIV testing campaign.
Have a safe trip back, team!!