Aegida Project – “Assessment of the intervention to develop HIV self-testing skills and reduce stigma among women at risk in Kazakhstan” (2021 – 2023)

This project Aegida, funded by the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), is a pilot randomized control trial (RCT) of women engaged in commercial sex work and drug use in Kazakhstan. The project’s goal is to increase regular HIV testing, enable early detection of new HIV/STI cases, and reduce HIV stigma among at-risk women. The intervention aims to support HIV self-testing and stigma reduction, with a control arm focusing on HIV risk reduction and disease prevention. The project is being implemented in Almaty, supported by the Kazakh Scientific Center for Dermatology and Infectious Diseases, and the Center for AIDS Prevention and Control in Almaty.

Publications:

• “Protected Means Armed”: Perspectives on Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Among Women Who Engage in Sex Work and Use Drugs in Kazakhstan (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37843909/);
• Preferences for an HIV Self-Testing Program Among Women who Engage in sex Work and use Drugs in Kazakhstan, Central Asia (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37426726/);