Presented by Harsha Thirumurthy WHO HIVST meeting July 20, 2015

1. WHO side meeting on HIV self-testing
July 18, 2015
JIPIME study: the use of
self-testing to promote
partner testing
Harsha Thirumurthy
UNC Chapel Hill
Kawango Agot
IRDO

2. Study team and funding
Co-Principal Investigators
Harsha Thirumurthy1, Kawango Agot2
Co-Investigators
Eunice Omanga2, Suzanne Maman1, Sue Mavedzenge3
Funding
International Initiative for Impact Evaluation, Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation
1 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; 2 Impact Research & Development Organization; 3 RTI

3. Background
 HIV testing among male partners of pregnant
women may decrease HIV transmission to women
and promote PMTCT uptake
 Male partner testing is low in many countries,
however
 <20% of male partners undergo clinic-based HCT in most
low-resource settings, even following adaptations to the
ANC clinics to encourage male attendance
 Barriers to male testing in ANC include inadequate
infrastructure within the ANC clinics and cultural norms that
view ANC clinics as limited to women

4. Promoting partner testing with
HIVST
 HIVST has high acceptability in Kenya
 Pilot study in Kisumu shows feasibility of
intervention that relies on secondary distribution of
self-test kits
 Women who receive multiple self-test kits were able to give
self-test kits to their male partners and encourage them to
use it (MOAC0302LB, July 20)
 Research needed to establish whether HIVST is
effective at increasing partner testing among
pregnant and postpartum women

5. Jipime (test yourself): study
design
 Ongoing randomized trial in Kisumu, Kenya
 Objective: determine whether provision of 2 self-tests to
pregnant and postpartum women is more effective at
promoting partner testing than standard of care (partner
invitation for HIV testing)
 Eligibility: adult women in stable partnerships who attend ANC or
PPC at 3 health facilities in or near Kisumu
 Target enrollment of 600 participants (randomized in 1:1 ratio)
Intervention group
Women given two HIV
self-tests and encouraged
to initiate HIV testing with
primary partner
Control group
Women given a referral
letter that encourages
their primary partner to
seek HTC

6. Study progress and outcomes
 Study progress
 Enrollment began in June 2015
 228 participants enrolled and randomized so far
 1-month follow-up interviews under way
 Primary outcome
 Uptake of HIV testing by women’s partner within 3 months of
enrollment
 Measurement: Self-reported use of self-testing in intervention group;
self-reported uptake of HTC in control group
 Secondary outcomes
 Discussions about HIV testing
 Partner testing vs. couples testing
 Actions taken after HIV testing (confirmatory testing, linkage to care)
 Adverse reactions or gender-based violence
 Results expected later this year