HIV Prevention Strategies Among Key Populations in Southeast Asia
Summary
The HIV epidemic in Southeast Asia remains heavily concentrated among key populations, notably men who have sex with men (MSM), transgender women (TGW), people who inject drugs (PWID) and sex workers. In recent years, a combination prevention framework has been widely adopted, integrating biomedical tools such as antiretroviral therapy (ART) for treatment as prevention and daily oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), alongside behavioural approaches including condom distribution, risk-reduction counselling and peer education. Community-led services and key population–driven clinics have proven effective in overcoming stigma and improving access to testing, prevention and care. Digital innovations—from online booking and e-counselling to supervised self-testing—are expanding the reach of HIV services among younger and harder-to-reach groups. Structural interventions, such as training health-care providers, strengthening universal health coverage and reforming punitive laws, are critical to sustain gains. Together, these strategies aim to increase testing frequency, enhance adherence, achieve viral suppression and ultimately drive down new infections across the region.
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HIV Prevention Strategies Among Key Populations in Southeast Asia publication trend
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Technical terms
Key populations: Groups such as MSM, TGW, PWID and sex workers who experience disproportionate HIV risk and face barriers to service access.
Antiretroviral therapy (ART): Combination of drugs used to suppress HIV replication, improve health outcomes and prevent onward transmission.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP): Preventive regimen of antiretroviral medication taken by HIV-negative individuals to reduce the risk of acquiring HIV.
Combination prevention: Synergistic deployment of biomedical, behavioural and structural interventions to reduce HIV incidence.
Incidence: The rate at which new HIV infections occur in a defined population over a specified period.
References
- High PrEP uptake, adherence, persistence and effectiveness outcomes among young Thai men and transgender women who sell sex in Bangkok and Pattaya, Thailand: findings from the open-label combination HIV prevention effectiveness (COPE) study. The Lancet Regional Health - Southeast Asia (2023).
- Very high HIV prevalence and incidence among men who have sex with men and transgender women in Indonesia: a retrospective observational cohort study in Bali and Jakarta, 2017–2020. Journal of the International AIDS Society (2024).
- Experiences and challenges of pre-exposure prophylaxis initiation and retention among high-risk populations: qualitative insights among service providers in Thailand. Frontiers in Public Health (2024).
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