The opening conference of the INTEGRATE Joint Action "From HIV testing and linkage to care to integration of HIV, Hepatitis, TB & STIs" takes place in Brussels today. The meeting will examine the results and policy implications of two EU co-financed projects - OptTEST[1] and Euro HIV EDAT[2] and discuss how the INTEGRATE Joint Action can build on the work of these and other relevant EU projects related to HIV, Hepatitis, TB and STIs testing and linkage to care. See programme.

INTEGRATE

INTEGRATE Joint Action is a three year project (2017-2020) receiving 80% co-funding under the third EU Health Programme. It brings together 29 partners from public health institutions, hospitals, NGOs and universities in Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, UK and Serbia. The main aim of the Joint Action is to integrate early diagnosis and linkage to prevention and care of HIV, viral hepatitis, TB and STIs in EU countries by 2020.

OptTEST: main outcomes

• A standard definition of linkage to care
• Development and testing tools to overcome provider barriers to IC-guided testing
• Evaluation of cost-effectiveness of HIV testing strategies in three pilot countries (France, Estonia, Spain)  
• A searchable database showing the most common legal and regulatory barriers
• An advocacy tool kit with tips on how to overcome these and other barriers such as stigma

Euro HIV EDAT: main outcomes

• Operational data and guidelines to scale up testing and linkage to care programmes and improve their effectiveness, including an updated guide helping community-based voluntary counselling and testing (CBVCT) services, improve testing and linkage to care for MSM and migrants
• A Toolkit for the implementation of checkpoints, available in several languages
• An HIV-Testing strategy using oral fluid samples and online communication of test results for MSM and migrants in 6 European countries

For more information:

• European Commission - HIV-AIDS
• INTEGRATE
• OptTEST project 
• Euro HIV EDAT project