To eliminate the effects of collinearity, we repeated the model, removing the variable for previous HIV testing, and the remaining variables and their corresponding parameter estimates were essentially unchanged. We identified two patterns related to sex-worker registration that have implications for HIV and STI prevention and policies. First, registered FSWs tended to work in venue-based establishments, lived and worked in the same location, and earned more money per transaction.
Conversely, women who worked primarily on the street were less likely to be registered, as were FSWs who injected drugs and those who used stimulants i. These results provide the first analysis of the current system of regulation of FSWs on the Mexico-U. This may imply that FSWs, or the establishments for which they work, are finding a way to buy a registration card and bypass the regulation system, or the FSWs may be unaware that they have been tested.
Earlier studies in the Philippines have also showed that STI screening and treatment, in the absence of other prevention -strategies, are not effective for long-term control of STIs or HIV in sex workers.
First, street-based sex workers often have higher risk profiles, and they may have decreased access to condoms and fewer contacts with screening and treatment services for HIV and STIs.
The current registration system may be excluding sex workers who operate outside of a specific venue, and thus the MHD may not be reaching women at highest risk for HIV and STIs.
