Creating Scientific Evidence for HIV Prevention and Elimination in COVID-19 Era: Best Practices, Policies, and Methodological Approaches

Dear Colleagues,

To guide HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs, and to assess and address issues facing persons living with HIV (PLHIV), this Special Issue aims to generate data-driven and practice-based evidence encompassing the best practices, lessons learned, and efficient strategies on all aspects of prevention and care of  PLHIV. The aim is to highlight issues facing PLHIV not simply relating to proper screening and availability of antiretroviral treatment (ART), but also covering concerns about interruptions in treatment and continued testing, such as loss to follow up and poor health outcomes emanating from broader social, economic, and cultural barriers to complete physical and behavioral health, including but not limited to housing, food security, transportation, protection against social stigma, and poor health behaviors. Issues and topics associated with COVID-19 in PLHIV may include: the use of HIV contact tracing infrastructure for  HIV/AIDS to support COVID-19 contact tracing;  interruptions in HIV care due to the burden of COVID-19 care; and intersecting stigma related to HIV, COVID-19, and mental health.

The Special Issue will showcase empirical studies, systematic reviews, and practice briefs on all aspects pertaining to health and well-being of persons with HIV/AIDS. The studies will target broad audiences as the readers and beneficiaries of the study findings, including but not limited to individuals with risk of HIV infection, PWHIV, clinical practitioners and public health programs engaged in HIV/AIDS prevention and care. Articles of high interest to the Special Issue readership will cover practice-relevant topics such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake among vulnerable populations; psychosocial determinants of PrEP use; HIV/AIDS prevention and care for youth, and Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC), HIV vertical transmission, and testing, treatment, and viral load suppression among children living with HIV; health outcomes, such as death, loss to follow up and WHO clinical stages of persons living with HIV/AIDS; HIV-TB and other co-infections among persons with HIV; community-level environmental impacts of HIV; and elimination of health inequities and socio-economic berries to HIV prevention and care. Research and practice reports representing multidisciplinary perspectives including public health, public policy, social and behavioral health, nursing, clinical care, and program planning and development will receive preference.

Prof. Dr. Gulzar H. Shah
Dr. Stacy W. Smallwood
Guest Editors

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