Mediating immediacy in the era of ‘treat all’: The (chrono)logics of HIV treatment initiation in Shinyanga, Tanzania

Abstract

PurposeImmediate initiation of antiretroviral treatment following HIV infection is a cornerstone of the current HIV ‘universal test and treat’ approach. Delayed progress along the HIV care continuum is thus framed as a major stumbling block in effective HIV epidemic control. Through examining the HIV care trajectories of people diagnosed with HIV in Shinyanga Region, Tanzania, we offer a critical interrogation of the HIV care continuum. MethodsData are drawn from a social science study on the uptake of a ‘treat all’ model of HIV prevention and care conducted from 2018 to 2019. Methods included interviews with participants who tested positive (n = 30) and interviews (n = 25) with health staff involved in the testing campaigns. FindingsExploring individuals’ care trajectories, we found that most participants followed pathways to care that do not easily align with the current emphasis on rapid, linear progress from testing to treatment initiation. Instead, participants' trajectories from diagnosis to treatment happened on a different, non-linear time scale mediated through social relations and diverse communities of care. We thus conceptualize five pathways of linkage to care - virtuous/immediate, delayed testing, repeat testing, negotiated, and ‘failed'. ConclusionBased on our findings we propose a community-centered HIV care continuum that exposes moments of potential connection with or rupture from the health system and centers the importance of social support structures and forms of relational labor involving broader communities of care.