Index testing has been hailed as a highly effective and efficient strategy for identifying previously undiagnosed people living with HIV. However, in highly saturated South African environments like Johannesburg, where the majority of the population has already been tested for HIV, it can be extremely challenging to identify undiagnosed clients, even when using index testing. Johannesburg also has very high rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) and requires special efforts to ensure that index testing is offered as a completely voluntary service that clients can freely decline. Through the work on the FHI 360 led EpiC South Africa Complementing HIV Care and Treatment Service Delivery for the City of Johannesburg Project, JSI identified five ways to improve index testing practices, allowing us to find more people living with HIV and to link them to treatment and care.
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