Stimulant use interventions may strengthen ‘Getting to Zero’ HIV elimination initiatives in Illinois: Insights from a modeling study

Summary

Getting to Zero (GTZ) is an Illinois-based HIV elimination initiative. GTZ identifies younger Black men who have sex with men (YBMSM) as a population who have experienced disproportionate HIV incidence. Rising stimulant use among YBMSM has been determined to impede engagement in the HIV prevention and treatment continua for reducing onward HIV transmission. Given the limited development of dedicated or culturally appropriate interventions for this population, this modeling study explores the impact of stimulant use on HIV incidence among YBMSM and assesses the impact of interventions to treat stimulant use on downstream HIV transmission to achieve GTZ goals. Behavioral and biomedical interventions to treat stimulant use, in addition to expanding overall ART and PrEP uptake, are likely to enhance progress towards achieving GTZ goals.

Publication Year: 2022

Lead Author: Francis Lee

Journal: International Journal of Drug Policy

Publication Type(s): Modeling