Evidence map›Paper›PMID 23840521›Full record

ArticlePloS one2013

Filling the Knowledge Gap: Measuring HIV Prevalence and Risk Factors among Men Who Have Sex with Men and Female Sex Workers in Tripoli, Libya.

Joseph J Valadez, Sima Berendes, Caroline Jeffery, Joanna Thomson, Hussain Ben Othman, Leon Danon, Abdullah A Turki, Rabea Saffialden, Lusine Mirzoyan

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
22citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
11.2field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

22 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 40 citations in OpenAlex.

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  11. Assessment ofLe infezioni in medicina · 2023
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  13. Availability of HIV surveillance data in key populations in the countries of the World Health Organization Eastern Mediterranean Region.International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases · 2022
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Joseph J ValadezLiverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
Sima Berendes
Caroline Jeffery
Joanna Thomson
Hussain Ben Othman
Leon Danon
Abdullah A Turki
Rabea Saffialden
Lusine Mirzoyan
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine · GBUniversity of Warwick · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPublications on Libya's HIV epidemic mostly examined the victims of the tragic nosocomial HIV outbreak in the 1990s and the related dispute about the detention of foreign medical workers. The dispute resolution in 2003 included an agreement with the European Union on humanitarian cooperation and the development of Libya's first National HIV Strategy. As part of this we conducted Libya's first bio-behavioural survey among men having sex with men (MSM) and female sex workers (FSW).

methodsUsing respondent-driven sampling, we conducted a cross-sectional study to estimate the prevalence of HIV, hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and related risk factors among 227 MSM and 69 FSW in Tripoli (FSW recruitment ended prematurely due to the political events in 2011).

resultsFor MSM we estimated an HIV prevalence of 3.1%, HBV prevalence of 2.9%, and HCV prevalence of 7.3%, and for FSW an HIV prevalence of 15.7%, HBV prevalence of 0%, and HCV prevalence of 5.2%. We detected high levels of risk behaviours, poor HIV-related knowledge, high stigma and lack of prevention programmes. These results must be interpreted in the context of the political situation which prohibited reaching an ideal sample size for FSW.

conclusionThere is urgent need to implement an effective National HIV Strategy informed by the results of this research. The risk of transmission within different risk groups and to the general population may be high given the recent military events that led to increased violence, migration, and the disruption of essential HIV-related services.

Indexed as

Health Services AccessibilityHomosexuality, MaleSex WorkersAdolescentAdultCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHealth Knowledge, Attitudes, PracticeHepatitis BHepatitis CHIV InfectionsHumansLibyaMaleMiddle AgedRisk-Taking

Identifiers

PMID23840521
PMCPMC3686727
OpenAlexW2019216386

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.