SynthesisThe lancet. HIV2023
Trends in HIV testing, the treatment cascade, and HIV incidence among men who have sex with men in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in The lancet. HIV, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 47 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
47 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 62 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prospects of HIV elimination among men who have sex with men: A systematic review of modeling studies.PLoS computational biology · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Characterizing the HIV care continuum among children and adolescents with HIV in eastern and southern Africa in the era of "Universal Test and Treat": A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of the International AIDS Society · 2025Pooled it
- Marriage and Steady Relationships with Women in Men Who Have Sex with Men in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Mixed-Method Systematic Review and Meta-analyses.AIDS and behavior · 2025Pooled it
- Men who have sex with men perceiving that sex with women carries the greatest risk of HIV acquisition: results from a mixed-methods systematic review in sub-Saharan Africa.Journal of the International AIDS Society · 2024Pooled it
- HIV incidence among women engaging in sex work in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.The Lancet. Global health · 2024Pooled it
- The predictive accuracy of machine learning for the risk of death in HIV patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC infectious diseases · 2024Pooled it
- "Safe Places Like These are Rare": Feasibility of the Speaking Out and Allying Relationships (SOAR) Intervention for HIV-Positive Sexual Minority Men in Eastern Cape, South Africa.AIDS and behavior · 2026Trial
- Exploring the relationship between HIV Testing frequency and sexual behavior, prevention prophylaxis use among MSM in Southern China.PloS one · 2026Trial
- Escalating trends and burden of HIV among men who have sex with men in Bangladesh: A newly emerging concentrated epidemic.Biosafety and health · 2026Article
- Observational
- Adaptation of Inuka coaching problem-solving therapy to support mental health and HIV medication adherence among status-neutral men who have sex with men in South Africa.International health · 2026Article
- A qualitative study assessing the acceptability of a multi-agent AI Chatbot for providing HIV and mental health support among men who have sex with men and transgender women in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene · 2026Article
- An HIV-1 Risk Assessment Tool for Men Aged 15-59 years in 13 African Countries: A Pooled Analysis of Nationally Representative Surveys.Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) · 2026Article
- Geospatial Approaches to HIV Care: a Scoping Review of Asset Mapping.Current HIV/AIDS reports · 2026Article
- Behavioral and structural drivers of HIV in men who have sex with men in Belize: a mixed-methods study.Revista panamericana de salud publica = Pan American journal of public health · 2026Article
- Article
- Readability and information quality of LLM-Generated HIV content: a methodological content evaluation.BMC infectious diseases · 2025Article
- Psychosocial symptom networks and high-risk sexual behaviors among men who have sex with men: a network analysis.BMC psychology · 2025Article
- The precision of behavioral intervention strategies remain one of the key strategies for HIV prevention among MSM in the era of pharmaceutical interventions: an ecological study.BMC infectious diseases · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
12 authors at 6 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundGay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionately affected by HIV. In Africa, MSM face structural barriers to HIV prevention and treatment that increase their vulnerability to HIV acquisition and transmission, and undermine the HIV response. In this systematic review, we aimed to explore progress towards increases in HIV testing, improving engagement in the HIV treatment cascade, and HIV incidence reductions among MSM in Africa.
methodsWe searched Embase, MEDLINE, Global Health, Scopus, and Web of Science for cross-sectional and longitudinal studies reporting HIV testing, knowledge of status, care, antiretroviral therapy (ART) use, viral suppression, and HIV incidence among MSM in Africa published between Jan 1, 1980, and March 3, 2023. We pooled surveys using Bayesian generalised linear mixed-effects models, used meta-regression to assess time trends, and compared HIV incidence estimates among MSM with those of all men.
findingsOf 9278 articles identified, we included 152 unique studies published in 2005-23. In 2020, we estimate that 73% (95% credible interval [CrI] 62-87) of MSM had ever tested for HIV. HIV testing in the past 12 months increased over time in central, western, eastern, and southern Africa (odds ratio per year [OR
interpretationHIV incidence remains high, and might not be decreasing among MSM in Africa over time, despite some increases in HIV testing and ART use. Achieving the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets for diagnosis, treatment, and viral suppression equitably for all requires renewed focus on this key population. Combination interventions for MSM are urgently required to reduce disparities in HIV incidence and tackle the social, structural, and behavioural factors that make MSM vulnerable to HIV acquisition.
fundingUS National Institutes of Health, UK Medical Research Council, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and Fonds de Recherche du Québec-Santé. TRANSLATION: For the French translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.
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Registered trials
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.