Engaging Men in Prevention and Care for HIV/AIDS in Africa

Abstract

The HIV/AIDS response in Africa has always had a gender focus; targeted efforts have reduced the impact of the epidemic on women and children. The response has been far less successful for the treatment of men: there is less ART coverage of men than women in Africa, and men typically have higher mortality. Men also tend to present at clinic with advanced disease and are more likely to be lost to follow-up. Yet, efforts to understand men’s health seeking behaviour are poorly understood in the AIDS epidemic, and encouraging men to get tested and treated is a major challenge, but one that is poorly recognized. We review the emerging evidence and we call for a balanced approach to gender programming in an effort to involve both men and women in treatment and prevention.