Department of Communication, University of Missouri, Columbia, MI, USA.
School of Medicine, Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT, USA.
AIDS Care. 2023 Jun;35(6):784-790. doi: 10.1080/09540121.2021.1995839. Epub 2021 Nov 1.
An estimated 37,000 cisgender and transgender women work as sex workers in Malaysia, a population that has been disproportionately affected by the HIV epidemic Although Malaysia provides no-cost antiretroviral therapy (ART) to people with HIV, little is known about sex workers' engagement in the HIV care continuum. We analyzed data from 57 HIV-infected cisgender women ( = 33) and transgender women ( = 24) sex workers from a respondent-driven sampling study on HIV prevalence among sex workers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We examined the proportion of women who were newly diagnosed with HIV, had a baseline CD-4 count test, were initiated and retained on antiretroviral treatment (ART). Overall, only 26.3% had ever been HIV tested and almost 60% were newly diagnosed. Only a small proportion of cisgender (15.2%) and transgender (12.5%) women were currently taking ART. Interventions to enhance sex workers' engagement in the HIV care continuum are urgently needed. Deployment of evidence-based strategies to improve linkage and retention in HIV care should be adapted to address the unique needs of this important key population.
据估计，马来西亚有 3.7 万名跨性别和变性女性从事性工作者，这一人群受到艾滋病毒疫情的影响不成比例。尽管马来西亚向艾滋病毒感染者提供免费抗逆转录病毒疗法（ART），但对性工作者参与艾滋病毒护理连续体的情况知之甚少。我们分析了来自马来西亚吉隆坡性工作者艾滋病毒流行情况的应答驱动抽样研究中 57 名感染艾滋病毒的跨性别女性（ = 33）和变性女性（ = 24）性工作者的数据。我们检查了新诊断出艾滋病毒、进行基线 CD-4 计数检测、开始和维持抗逆转录病毒治疗（ART）的女性比例。总体而言，只有 26.3%的女性曾接受过艾滋病毒检测，近 60%的女性是新诊断出的。只有一小部分跨性别女性（15.2%）和变性女性（12.5%）目前正在服用抗逆转录病毒药物。迫切需要采取干预措施，增强性工作者参与艾滋病毒护理连续体。应部署基于证据的战略，以改善艾滋病毒护理的联系和保留率，以满足这一重要关键人群的独特需求。
