Table 1 Questions and probes to specifically discuss TasP during the interviews

Some people have told us that because there are more advanced HIV treatment opportunities, some of the concerns related to HIV are no longer as important.

a. What do you know about HIV treatment?

b. Providing treatment to people who are HIV+ can also make them less infectious-in other words, if somebody who is HIV+ is receiving treatment, they will not be as likely to give HIV to someone else. This has been referred to as ‘treatment as prevention’, because the treatment is offered to patients to prevent HIV transmission, regardless of whether or not the individual is at a stage of HIV infection that requires treatment for their individual benefit (e.g., so they don’t become sick). What are your thoughts on offering treatment to individuals who are HIV+ in order to prevent them from transmitting HIV?

• Tell me how the availability of HIV treatment might influence your decision to go for HIV testing? How might the availability of treatment affect the testing decisions of your friends (guys/girls)?

• How acceptable do you think it would be if you were HIV+ and you were offered treatment so that you would not be infectious, rather than for your own health-related concerns?

• Some have argued that it might be unfair to treat an HIV-infected person in order to prevent them from infecting others because it places another demand on people who might be very vulnerable people (e.g., poor people; people who use injection drugs). Can you tell me what your thoughts are on the ‘fairness’ of this approach?