1Department of Public Health and Hygiene, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Buea, South West Region, Cameroon
2Department of Internal Medicine & Specialties (Dermatology and Neurology), Faculty of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaounde I, Centre Region, Cameroon
3Departments of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Buea, South West Region, Cameroon
American Journal of Epidemiology and Infectious Disease.
2020,
Vol. 8 No. 2, 78-90
DOI: 10.12691/ajeid-8-2-4
Copyright © 2020 Science and Education PublishingCite this paper: Melvis Bora Samba, Alfred Kongnyu. Njamnshi, Dickson Shey Nsagah, Verla Siysi Vincent. Assessing Strategies to Improve Participation of Men in HIV Services in the Buea Health District of Cameroon: A Literature Review.
American Journal of Epidemiology and Infectious Disease. 2020; 8(2):78-90. doi: 10.12691/ajeid-8-2-4.
Correspondence to: Melvis Bora Samba, Department of Public Health and Hygiene, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Buea, South West Region, Cameroon. Email:
borathestar1@gmail.com, boramel@yaho.comAbstract
Background: Men have been found to lag behind when it comes to seeking health care and this has also been evident in their response to HIV services, especially HIV testing which is the entry point in the prevention cascade. A number of studies carried on men have focused on men who have sex men or those partners to women at the antenatal clinics, but little is known about the majority of men who fall out of this group. Our aim here is to assess HIV strategies that can be used to scale up HIV Services uptake, especially HIV Testing, by men in the Buea Health District of Cameroon. To realize Sustainable Development Goal 3, especially target 3.3 which aims at ending the HIV epidemic by 2030, participation by men in HIV Services is imperative. Method: We used principal data bases like Google scholar, PubMed, Medline, EMBASE. Also, the website of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint United Nations’ Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) were further searched. Our search used the keywords HIV Services, HIV Testing, men, male, and men testing. We included articles, journals and reports from international and national organizations, including non-governmental organizations that were published from 2010 to 2019 in English. Results: The review revealed that men are not only slow in testing but in some worst instances, because of fear to know their status, some refuse their women from carrying an HIV test. This contributes to increase the proportion of people with unknown HIV status. Strategies like community based testing; especially HIV self-testing, home testing and community outreach has great potential to reach more men. Also, community based dissemination of the right information on HIV through health education can be a great tool to change attitudes and perception so as to cause more men yet unreached to participate actively in HIV services. Conclusion: Taking health care to the men instead of waiting for them to come is required to increase their access and uptake of HIV services.
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