I N T ER V E N T IO N R E VIE W
GERMANY
“Let’s Talk and Test”
HIV Environment in Berlin
Key Challenges
Men who have sex with men (MSM) comprise the
majority of individuals diagnosed with HIV annually in
Germany.1 The capital Berlin, like many other major
European cities, is home to a large MSM population.1
Although testing rates among the MSM population
are higher compared to heterosexuals, challenges still
exist. Increased popularity of chemsex in Berlin has led
to concerns about sexually transmitted diseases and
HIV.3 The incidence of syphilis infections in Berlin is four
times higher compared to the rest of Germany.4
In 2016, one HIV physician in Berlin and a celebrity drag
queen initiated a series of successful events called
‘Let´s talk about sex & drugs’.2 These events offered
a communication platform to talk about topics such
as men having sex with men and drugs (Chemsex) in
a non-judgmental, feel-good atmosphere (e.g., gay
bars and clubs).
During these events, on-site STI and HIV testing was
offered to not only increase awareness through ‘Let´s
talk’ but also diagnosis through the ‘Let´s test’ aspect.
Although patient support groups offer anonymous
testing free of charge, people must be willing to get
to the location, make an appointment and take the
time to attend. Individuals are often unsure who will
be providing the test and if the environment will be
free of stigma and discrimination.
Aim
‘Let’s talk and test’ aims to bring testing directly to
the high-risk population, giving people the chance
to get tested in a casual and safe environment.
In the short-term, the project aims to raise awareness
of testing, increase the number of people getting
tested and thus being diagnosed with HIV, as well as
driving conversation and open-mindedness around
STI and HIV testing.
In the long-term, a key aim is to establish the ‘Let’s
talk & test’ format as a staple, informative and nonjudgmental prevention event in Germany, leading to
further positive impact along the Gardner Cascade.
UNAIDS 90-90-90 Targets to be Achieved by the Project
First 90: Diagnosis and testing
Zinc Job Code: VIIV/OTH/0019/17
Second 90: Access to care and treatment
Date of Preparation: April 2017
I N T ER V E N T IO N R E VIE W
Key Milestone
Measuring Impact
This project aims to hold 10 events over 12 months,
where people will be invited to discuss topics such as:
Numbers attending, tested and testing positive will
be monitored. Due to this being a novel concept,
there is no prior data to benchmark against.
!
risky sexual
behavior
Estimates are:
prevention
chemsex
The project combines educational aspects
(community TED-style talks) with the opportunity
for on-site STI and HIV testing in a safe and nonjudgmental environment. The founders of ‘Let’s
talk’ will host the events with promotion to the gay
community through social media channels.
Testing is performed by Fixpunkt e.V., a patient
support group with experience in testing and
psychological care. To ensure those who test
positive are successfully linked to care, they will
receive an ‘emergency voucher’, which will allow
them to be seen by specialist physicians without an
appointment.
Key Learnings and Potential
Extensions
150 attendees per event for 10
events, totalling 1500 attendees.
30% get tested (N=450).
3% are diagnosed with HIV after
testing (N=14).
More than 90% of PLHIV receive
access to care documented through
emergency voucher (N=13).
How can the Intervention be
Applied Elsewhere?
Key learnings:
• The participants receive immediate test
results – minimising the number of people not
collecting results.
The project will provide a useful case study on
how to successfully bring testing to patients in a
safe and non-judgemental environment.
• As the events are high profile, it is a good
opportunity to increase awareness of STI and
HIV testing in the MSM community.
The healthcare professionals involved in the
project will share best practice with colleagues
during national and international conferences by
submitting an abstract and publishing the results
in a national HIV magazine.
Possible extensions:
• Connect to other HIV awareness programmes to
further raise awareness and participation rates.
Key Stakeholders
Other HIV centres and patient support groups in
the country have liaised with the founding HIV
physician and are adapting the concept to other
cities. This format has already been implemented
in Cologne.
External partners:
1. The founding HIV physician and celebrity
drag queen
2. HIV specialists and centres in Berlin
3. Fixpunkt e.V. (patient support group)
1. Grov, Christian. “Gay Men’s Perspectives On HIV Prevention And Treatment In Berlin, Germany: Lessons For Policy And Prevention”. [Online]. [3 April 2017] Available from: http://
www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19317611.2016.1247758?journalCode=wijs20.
2. Musikundfrieden. 2017. Let’s Talk About Sex And Drugs. [Online]. [3 April 2017]. Available from: http://musikundfrieden.de/events/lets-talk-about-sex-and-drugs/.
3. Mösken, Anne. 2017. Sex, The City And The ‘New AIDS. [Online]. [3 April 2017]. Available from: http://www.exberliner.com/features/lifestyle/sex,-the-city-and-the-%E2%80%
98new-aids%E2%80%99/.
4. The Local. 2017. Syphilis Making Surprise Comeback In Germany. [Online]. [3 April 2017]. Available from: https://www.thelocal.de/20151211/germany-sees-sharp-rise-in-syphilis-cases.
For more information contact: [email protected]
Zinc Job Code: VIIV/OTH/0019/17
Date of Preparation: April 2017