Home-based HIV testing and counselling in a survey context in Uganda

"This report examines the results of a study in which respondents who participated in a population-based survey were offered free HIV and syphilis testing and next-day test results if they consented to give a blood sample. The survey itself, known as the home-based voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) survey, was conducted by the Ministry of Health (MOH) of Uganda in order to test the feasibility of offering HIV test results and counselling at home within a survey, and to see what effect offering home-based VCT might have on rates of participation in the survey and in the blood draw. The survey interviewed respondents in the Central, Western, and West Nile regions of Uganda, with a questionnaire that had been used earlier in a national survey on sexual practices and."-- P. xi. "In late 2004, the Ministry of Health (MOH) of Uganda, supported by the United States government, conducted a national survey with questions that addressed demographic issues, sexual practices, and HIV/AIDS. The UHSBS, directed by the MOH with technical assistance from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Opinion Research Corporation (ORC) Macro, interviewed more than 21,000 adults 15-59 years old in 417 clusters around the country. Respondents were asked to give venous blood so it could be tested for syphilis, HIV, herpes simplex, and hepatitis B. Respondents who tested positive for syphilis were offered free treatment the next day. All respondents who agreed to participate in the survey were given a referral voucher that could be used at a local health facility or a mobile unit to obtain a free HIV test and counselling. The MOH tracked the use of the vouchers in order to determine the proportion of survey respondents who learned their HIV status through participation in the survey."--P. 1.