{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,30]],"date-time":"2026-06-30T10:19:59Z","timestamp":1782814799077,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,5]],"date-time":"2026-05-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1777939200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001804","name":"Canada Research Chairs","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001804","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000024","name":"Canadian Institutes of Health Research","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["173397"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["173397"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000024","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000265","name":"Medical Research Council","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["MR\/X020258\/1"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["MR\/X020258\/1"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000265","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000865","name":"Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["INV-005576"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["INV-005576"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000865","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosmedicine.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS Med"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>HIV self-testing (HIVST) can increase access to and uptake of HIV testing among people underserved by other HIV testing approaches. Several countries in Africa, the region most affected by HIV, have scaled-up HIVST. However, no comprehensive analysis has yet quantified HIVST uptake trends and how HIVST kits are used. We aimed to estimate 1) country-level and regional trends in HIVST uptake among adults by sex and age and 2) the proportion of distributed HIVST kits that are used and re-testing rates with HIVST.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n                    <jats:title>Methods and findings<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Across African countries, we analyzed 1) data from national population-based surveys that included questions on previous HIVST use and 2) the number of HIVST kits distributed from nationally reported program data (2012\u20132024). We developed a hierarchical Bayesian compartmental model to estimate HIVST rates by triangulating surveys and program data. Random effects were used to pool information across countries. Data were available from 40 surveys in 27 countries and from 99 country-years of HIVST program data. The proportion of adults aged \u226515 years in Africa who have ever used an HIVST (HIVST uptake) steadily increased, from &lt;1% in 2012 to almost 7% (6.8%; 95% credible interval [95%CrI] [5.8, 8.2]) in 2024. HIVST uptake was higher in eastern and southern Africa (10.2% in 2024, 95%CrI [8.5, 12.7]) compared to western and central Africa (2% in 2024; 95%CrI [1.7, 2.5]). The proportion of people who ever self-tested varied substantially across countries, reaching a maximum in 2024 of 45.4% (95%CrI [41.8, 51.5]) in Lesotho. Men (7.2% in 2024, 95%CrI [6.1, 8.8]) were slightly more likely than women to have ever used an HIVST (6.4% in 2024; 95%CrI [5.4, 7.8]). Compared to younger individuals (15\u201324 years), those aged 25\u201334 years had higher rates of self-testing (men: rate ratio [RR]=1.8, 95%CrI [1.5, 2.3]; women: RR\u2009=\u20091.4, 95%CrI [1.1, 1.6]). Individuals who previously self-tested may be more likely to self-test again (RR\u2009=\u20091.1, 95%CrI [0.8, 1.5]), although with substantial uncertainty. We estimated that 70% (95%CrI [60, 80]) of all HIVST distributed were used. Limitations of the study include challenges in precisely estimating some parameters, exclusion of countries without any HIVST distribution data and inability to model HIVST positivity.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>HIVST uptake has increased in Africa, with wide variation between countries. HIVST is more likely to engage 25\u201334-year-olds and men, who have historically been less likely to be aware of their HIV status. Our results can help understand patterns of use and support countries in optimizing their HIV testing services.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pmed.1004771","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,5]],"date-time":"2026-05-05T17:35:11Z","timestamp":1778002511000},"page":"e1004771","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pmed.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Trends in HIV self-testing uptake in Africa: A modeling study of population-based surveys and HIV testing program data"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"23","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-2214-8876","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Aishi","family":"Aratrika","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carla M.","family":"Doyle","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5499-5523","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Cheryl Case","family":"Johnson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0306-5171","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Olanrewaju","family":"Edun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bogol","family":"Mbope","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Achille","family":"Adoko","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mphotleng","family":"Tlhomola","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4765-3469","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"C\u00e9dric P.","family":"Yansouni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6095-9430","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Augustine Talumba","family":"Choko","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7728-728X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Jeffrey W.","family":"Imai-Eaton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8363-4388","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Mathieu","family":"Maheu-Giroux","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,5]]},"reference":[{"issue":"5","key":"pmed.1004771.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1016\/S2352-3018(20)30315-5","article-title":"Trends in knowledge of HIV status and efficiency of HIV testing services in sub-Saharan Africa, 2000\u201320: a modelling study using survey and HIV testing programme data","volume":"8","author":"K Gigu\u00e8re","year":"2021","journal-title":"The Lancet HIV"},{"key":"pmed.1004771.ref002","unstructured":"World Health Organization. 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