Strengthening health system's capacity for linkage to HIV care for adolescent girls and young women and adolescent boys and young men in South Africa (SheS'Cap- Linkage): protocol for a mixed methods study in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Abstract

Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) aged 15???24 years and adolescent boys and young men (ABYM) aged 15???34 years represent one of the populations at highest risk for HIV-infection in South Africa. The National Department of Health adopted the universal test and treat (UTT) strategy in 2016, resulting in increases in same-day antiretroviral therapy initiations and linkage to care. Monitoring progress towards attainment of South Africa's 95-95-95 targets amongst AGYW and ABYM relies on high quality data to identify and address gaps in linkage to care. The aim of this study is to describe the current approaches for engaging AGYW and ABYM in the treatment continuum to generate knowledge that can guide efforts to improve linkage to, and retention in, HIV care among these populations in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.