HIV prevention and treatment cascades among female sex workers in Benin, West Africa

Background & Objectives. Benin has a long-standing history of HIV prevention programs aimed at female sex workers (FSWs). We used data from a national survey among FSWs (2017) to assess the prevention and care cascades in this population. METHODS: FSWs were recruited through cluster sampling of sex work sites. A questionnaire was administered, and HIV tested. HIV-positive participants were asked to provide dried-blood spots (DBS), tested for ARV and viral load. We assessed two prevention cascades (HIV testing and safer sex) and the treatment cascade, using a combination of self-reported and biological variables. RESULTS: Mean age of the 1086 FSWs was 30 years. Half of them were Beninese and two-thirds had a primary school education level or less. Almost all FSWs had ever heard of HIV/AIDS. 79.1% had ever been tested, and 84.1% of the latter had been tested in the last year. In the previous six months, 90.1% were exposed to prevention messages. Women exposed to any HIV prevention message reported a higher level of consistent condom use in the last month (69.0%) than those who were not (48.5%, p