Uptake and retention on HIV pre‐exposure prophylaxis among key and priority populations in South‐Central Uganda

Introduction Pre‐exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) programmes have been initiated in sub‐Saharan Africa to prevent HIV acquisition in key populations at increased risk. However, data on PrEP uptake and retention in high‐risk African communities are limited. We evaluated PrEP uptake and retention in HIV hyperendemic fishing villages and trading centres in south‐central Uganda between April 2018 and March 2019. Methods PrEP eligibility was assessed using a national risk screening tool. Programme data were used to evaluate uptake and retention over 12 months. Multivariable modified Poisson regression estimated adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) and 95% Confidence intervals (CIs) of uptake associated with covariates. We used Kaplan–Meier analysis to estimate retention and multivariable Cox regression to estimate adjusted relative hazards (aRH) and 95% CIs of discontinuation associated with covariates. Results and discussion Of the 2985 HIV‐negative individuals screened; 2750 (92.1 %) were eligible; of whom 2,536 (92.2%) accepted PrEP. Male (aPR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.85 to 0.97) and female (aPR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.77 to 0.94) fisher folk were less likely to accept compared to HIV‐discordant couples. Median retention was 45.4 days for both men and women, whereas retention was higher among women (log rank, p