Tracking the efficacy of the test and treat model of HIV prevention in India using National Family Health Surveys (2005–16)

Aim: This paper aims to track the efficacy of the Test and Treat model of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention adopted by the government of India, 2015–16, using the last two rounds of National Family Health Survey, providing community-based insights in the testing of HIV prevalence in 2005–06 and 2015–16. Methods: The survey collected information from a nationally representative sample of 69,751 men and 124,385 women in 2005–06 and 103,411 men and 121,118 women age 15–49 in 2015–16 respectively. Both descriptive and multivariate techniques have been used. Results: The 'test and treat' model of HIV in India portrays a women-centric effort to ensure HIV testing as part of their ANC, resulting in a substantial increase in ever being tested for HIV. Women who are educated, living in urban areas, and in economically better households are more prone to have ever undergone HIV testing, it is a welcome change given the existing HIV scenario, with a continuously narrowing gender gap in new HIV infections (NFHS-4). Women and men having positive attitude towards stigma and discrimination to people living with HIV (PLHIV) are in better agreement to ever being tested. Further, women and men having knowledge about antiretroviral therapy (ART) are 1.6 times (p < 0.001) and 1.8 times (p < 0.001) more likely to have ever been tested for HIV. Conclusions: Despite an improvement in coverage of HIV testing, the existing disparities in HIV testing and treatment require policy instruments with an integrated approach. Government should work in close collaboration with communities/key stakeholders, and efficiently use their resources to provide evidence-based HIV prevention and treatment interventions.