Since the release of the last technical guidance from the World Health Organzsation (WHO) and Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) on the use of HIV recency assays in 2011, the field has changed substantially. Many of the assays available when the last guidance was released are no longer available or have been largely displaced by newer technologies, and numerous challenges have been identified in the analysis of recency within population-level surveys, including the impact of pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, on assay results.
Facente Consulting was hired to lead a team of subject matter experts to review the available evidence and draft a revised technical guidance document for WHO and UNAIDS. This document outlines recommendations and best practices regarding the appropriate use of HIV recency assays within public health surveillance programs and large population surveys. This project entailed a large systematic review, which was published in a peer-reviewed journal, as well as planning and facilitating a large international meeting to present the draft guidance and solicit feedback from global experts before final revisions were made to the official guidance.