The Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in Venezuela held a presentation on the Prevalence Studies of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in Vulnerable Populations of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela on Thursday, February 6, 2020, in Caracas. Representatives from some of the most important non-governmental organizations working for the rights of people living with HIV were present, as well as members of the Venezuelan Society of Infectious Diseases. The program was coordinated by Dr. Regina López, UNAIDS Country Director, and Ms. Soledad Pérez, PAHO Officer.
The topic addressed during the day was the prevalence of HIV in MSM, MTS and TRANS populations, presenting several analyses of interest that yielded important data.
According to these organizations, the prevalence of HIV in the MSM population is 22.3%, according to a study conducted in 7 major cities of the country with a sample of 1715 people aged between 15 and 69 years, where the highest percentage was found in Puerto Ordaz with 28.3%.
The sampling procedure was carried out using Respondent-Driven Sampling , recognized by UNAIDS and WHO for biobehavioral studies. The questionnaire consisted of 14 sections comprising 70 structured questions.
Among other results relevant to this study, it was highlighted that 30% of MSM showed a lack of concern about the risk of HIV infection, considering in corollary that only 34% claimed to use a condom in all their sexual relations.
Similarly, of all participants, 44.9% reported having visited a health center during the past year, and of those, 38.8% reported experiencing discrimination based on their sexual orientation from healthcare professionals. An additional 21.2% reported having been advised against having sex.
Key strengths of this study included the fact that 70.06% of participants had voluntarily undergone HIV testing; however, 45.5% of them had done so more than a year prior. 89.7% of HIV-positive MSM reported receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), with 100% coverage in Valencia, Puerto Ordaz, Mérida, and Porlamar. In Caracas, ART coverage was below the national average at 84.4%.
The percentage of MSM who were tested for HIV in the last 12 months and knew they were living with the virus is 37.3% with variations between 48.2% in the city of Maracay and 19% in Maracaibo.
The speakers considered it important to promote the systematic use of condoms in sexual relations, while also urging an increase in the coverage of education and information programs that are currently lacking in the country.
This study revealed similar results to those observed in 21 countries in the region, where more than half of MSM are unaware of their serological status.
On the other hand, the HIV prevalence rate among transgender women is 35.8%, a figure that exceeds the baseline estimate for the sample calculation. This demonstrates that this population is experiencing a larger HIV epidemic than any of the key populations, requiring more focused prevention campaigns, especially considering that condom use with casual partners in this population is only 9.4%, and with clients between 27% and 46.4%.
The audience, comprised mainly of delegates from various national NGOs working to protect the human rights of people living with HIV, physicians, representatives of scientific societies, and public health officials, showed interest in the presentations. Some of the contributions helped to expand upon existing ideas for analyzing the results and, based on these findings, to develop public health policies tailored to each of the key populations.