PrEP for key populations: results from the first PrEP demonstration project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

ABSTRACT

Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is recommended for persons at substantial risk for HIV, including female sex workers (FSW), men who have sex with men (MSM), people who inject drugs (PWID), and transgender women (TGW). We report on a PrEP demonstration project at seven clinics in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Routinely collected data were abstracted to assess PrEP uptake, scheduled visit attendance, and self-reported adherence. Between February and May 2018, 469 eligible clients were offered daily oral PrEP; 75.1% accepted: 78.7% FSW, 20.5% MSM, and 0.9% TGW. Two percent also identified as PWID. Attendance was 64.5% at one-month visits; 82.1% at three-month visits; and among 47.7% of clients who initiated PrEP at least six months before data abstraction, 85.8% at six-month visits. Among 66.3% of clients with at least one adherence assessment, 39% self-reported low adherence. Results demonstrate the acceptability of PrEP delivered in healthcare settings serving FSW, MSM, PWID, and TGW.

KEYWORDS:

• Pre-exposure prophylaxis
• HIV prevention
• Democratic Republic of Congo
• key populations
• female sex workers
• men who have sex with men
• people who inject drugs

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the collaboration of staff members at the KP-friendly clinics in Kinshasa and Lubumbashi whose dedication made this demonstration project possible, as well as the participation of the clinic clients.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).