Expanding HIV Testing Options for Parents Using Caregiver-assisted Oral Pediatric HIV Screening Testing (HIVST) in Uganda and Zambia

These datasets are associated with studies that were conducted in Zambia and Uganda in 2021. The purpose of these studies were to evaluate the acceptability, feasibility and effectiveness of caregiver-assisted oral fluid-based HIV screening to screen children for HIV. The primary aim was to offer HIV oral test kits (OTKs) to index parent/caregivers with children eligible for index testing services at facility settings in Zambia and Uganda to expand access to HIV testing and treatment services for children, and to ensure that all children who screen positive with an oral fluid-based HIV screening kit are linked to confirmatory testing, and newly diagnosed children are initiated on ART.

These studies were supported by the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cooperative agreement #GH001463 with Catholic Relief Services and sub-awardee Makerere University School of Public Health, Uganda, and Macha Research Trust, Zambia, with oral HIV test kits donated by OraSure Technologies, Inc. (Bethlehem, PA).