Abstract
The 2011 Ghana Men's Study identified a high prevalence of HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Accra/Tema (34.4%) and in Kumasi (13.6%), whereas the HIV rate among MSM referred through peer educators (PEs) to HIV testing and counseling (HTC) services in these two sites was substantially lower (8.4%). These findings raised questions about possible limitations of the peer-education strategy to reach high-risk MSM. Therefore, a pilot study was conducted to assess the feasibility of using a social network strategy (SNS) to identify and refer MSM to HTC services. Within 3months, 166 MSM were reached and referred to HTC services: 62.7% reported no recent exposure to PEs; 61.5% were unaware of their recent HIV serostatus; and 32.9% were newly diagnosed HIV positive. This pilot study suggests that an SNS could be an important strategy to reach MSM and to increase the uptake of HTC.
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