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via @PerilOfAfrica #Uganda Buganda Kingdom, I&M rejoin forces to intensify fight against HIV/AIDS: By CHIMPREPORTS Source link A 2023 Uganda Aids Commission survey shows that Uganda has recorded progress in combating HIV and AIDS. However, the rate of the epidemic remains high, calling for measures to keep the infection numbers down, as Uganda is ranked fifth globally among countries with the highest HIV burden.  The prevalence of HIV […] The post Buganda Kingdom, I&M rejoin forces to intensify fight against HIV/AIDS first appeared on Peril Of Africa.

Join Us at the 20th Indian Ocean HIV and AIDS Colloquium in Madagascar! 🗓️ When: November 2024 📍 Where: Beautiful Madagascar The 20th edition of the Indian Ocean HIV and AIDS Colloquium is just around the corner, and it’s an event you won’t want to miss. 🔬 What’s It All About? The Colloquium brings together health professionals, researchers, and policymakers across the Indian Ocean region. We’ll dive deep into strategies for combating HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, and addiction. It’s a unique opportunity to share insights, learn from experts, and collaborate on effective solutions. 🌍 Why Madagascar? Madagascar, received the hosting banner from Seychelles during the last colloquium, last year. Despite its challenges, Madagascar is a resilient host. The country has faced natural disasters like droughts and cyclones, yet it remains committed to fighting HIV. Let’s support Madagascar’s efforts and learn from their experiences. 🤝 Regional Collaboration Matters Remember the last Colloquium in Seychelles? We emphasized the power of regional collaboration. Together, we can achieve more—preventing new infections, improving treatment access, or supporting vulnerable populations. 🔍 Key Topics: HIV Prevention: Addressing critical gaps to reduce new infections. Treatment Access: Ensuring everyone gets the care they need. Addiction: Tackling substance abuse and its impact on health. 🎙️ Speakers and Sessions: Expect engaging talks, interactive workshops, and networking opportunities. Let’s build connections, share knowledge, and ignite change. 📢 Spread the Word! Tag your colleagues, share this post, and mark your calendars. Together, we’ll make a difference in the fight against HIV/AIDS. 🙌 #IOCC2024 #HealthMatters #MadagascarConference Consider being a sponsor: We still need some sponsors for the event. More information to come.

We are pleased to share a Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health feature analysis that has within it a quote from Peter Chibatamoto of Humana People to People Botswana. Peter reflects on how our Total Control of the Epidemic (TCE) programme in Botswana started at the peak of HIV and AIDS scourge in 2001 by addressing stigma and discrimination, building people’s consciousness about HIV and aids. We believe in the motto: “Only the people can liberate themselves from #HIVepidemic.” Our TCE programme focuses on equipping people with knowledge and tools to take control of their health as they take a leading role in protecting themselves against HIV infection. Our community health workers built a network of people-driven HIV response making it possible to access treatment and support viral load suppression. We respond to AIDS inequalities by eliminating costs that prevent disadvantaged people from accessing HIV treatment. We help people living with HIV to get to the nearest health facility, we establish a treatment adherence supporting structure. Our TCE Field Officers visit people living with HIV who have fallen out of treatment, to #reengage them & assist them to form small #HIVtreatment adherence support groups known as TRIOs. They help to ensure people get their viral load test and adopt a healthier lifestyle. Read more of the Harvard Public Health feature piece here: https://lnkd.in/dGw5xc69 Planet Aid, Inc Humana People to People in South Africa ADPP Moçambique USAID Global Health Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Global Fund DAPP Namibia Humana People to People India

#PublishedToday in Eurasia Review: Not just richer nations like #NewZealand are meeting some of the 2025 HIV-related targets but also low- and middle-income countries like #Nepal, #Cambodia and #Thailand in Asia and the Pacific region. "2025 #AIDS-related targets are ambitious but not wishful thinking: We know this, because nine countries have already achieved HIV testing and treatment targets. Four countries from Asia Pacific are treating more than 80% of people living with HIV (Cambodia, Nepal, New Zealand, Thailand). Nepal is also among the 4 countries globally that has reduced the new infections by more than 75% (compared to 2010) and can potentially reach the 90% target by 2030,” said Eamonn Murphy, Regional Director for UNAIDS Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and UNAIDS Asia Pacific. “Other countries can learn from their approaches. 18 countries have eliminated mother to child transmission of HIV globally – and 4 of these countries are in Asia Pacific region: Malaysia, Thailand, Maldives and Sri Lanka,” he added. Dr Rajesh Sambhajirao Pandav, WHO Representative to Nepal, said that: "#PuttingPeopleFirst, means serving and engaging priority populations in HIV responses, particularly by countering stigma and discrimination many of these populations face, including in healthcare settings. 👉 Eurasia Review https://lnkd.in/gPNgwt2R 👉 CNS https://lnkd.in/gK5x9jgv #AIDS2024 #Aids2024Munich #AIDS2024Germany #endAIDS #HIV #Asia #Pacific #AsiaPacific #EndingAIDS #MakeaDifference #UequalsU #undetectableequalsuntransmittable #Prevention #infectionprevention #diseaseprevention #HealthForAll #Access #accessibilitymatters #reachtheunreached #keypopulations #Nepal World Health Organization Nepal

NACA Reveals 160,000 Children Living With HIV In Nigeria The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has revealed that approximately 160,000 children aged 0-14 are living with #HIV in Nigeria. This figure highlights the country’s challenge in preventing mother-to-child transmission of the virus, which currently has a coverage rate below 33%, far short of the 95% target. Speaking at a press conference in Abuja ahead of #WorldAIDSDay2024, #NACA’s Director-General, Dr Temitope Ilori, quoted data from the #UNAIDS 2023 report. She emphasised that Nigeria’s overall HIV prevalence is 1.4% among people aged 15-64 years, with an estimated two million individuals living with the virus. The country records about 22,000 new HIV infections and 15,000 AIDS-related deaths annually. Dr Ilori underscored the significance of World AIDS Day, observed annually on 1 December, as a platform to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS. This year’s theme is “Take the Rights Path: Sustain HIV Response, Stop HIV among Children to #EndAIDS in Nigeria by #2030”... https://lnkd.in/dZA_pcdY

“Let’s make HIV everyone’s business.” These words - shared with me by the inspirational DOREEN MORAA – coupled with recent UNAIDS data showing the number of people living with HIV has risen to 40million, have stuck with me over the last few weeks following the AIDS 2024 conference. There is some good news - 1) c.30million people living with HIV are on lifesaving treatment; 2) nearly ¾ have a suppressed viral load; 3) 39% fewer people acquired HIV in 2023 vs. 2010. Having just come back from Malawi - seeing firsthand the impact of our medicines - I’m incredibly proud that the biggest reduction in HIV transmission is in sub-Saharan Africa, where we’ve been partnering with the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) for over 10 years to ensure access to our products through voluntary licences. This partnership now includes our long-acting prevention medicine, and we are working with generic partners on development. Until generic versions are available, we have made our medicine available at a non-profit price for public programmes and it is currently being administered in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Eswatini and Ukraine with more to come before the end of the year. But the 40million cannot be ignored - HIV is not “solved”. In 2023, programmes were missing 9.3million people who need treatment and at least half of key populations were not being reached with prevention services. The consequences of failing to achieve the 95-95-95 goals (currently at 86-89-93) are catastrophic - by 2050, 46million people could be living with HIV putting more pressure on already stretched healthcare budgets and systems. Inaction simply isn’t an option - we must ensure treatment and prevention options become available to those who need them most as quickly as possible. We are committed to doing our part – at ViiV Healthcare, our model allows for flexible and sustainable approaches to pricing as well as intellectual property (IP) through the use of voluntary licensing agreements. However, we can’t do it alone and will continue to work with our partners and communities to realise our shared goal of ending HIV and AIDS. #WeWontStop fighting to ensure no person living with HIV is left behind. You can find out more about our work to #EndTheEpidemic here: https://lnkd.in/eShG-T3t  

Not just richer nations like #NewZealand are meeting some of the 2025 HIV-related targets but also low- and middle-income countries like #Nepal, #Cambodia and #Thailand in Asia and the Pacific region. "2025 #AIDS-related targets are ambitious but not wishful thinking: We know this, because nine countries have already achieved HIV testing and treatment targets. Four countries from Asia Pacific are treating more than 80% of people living with HIV (Cambodia, Nepal, New Zealand, Thailand). Nepal is also among the 4 countries globally that has reduced the new infections by more than 75% (compared to 2010) and can potentially reach the 90% target by 2030,” said Eamonn Murphy, UNAIDS Regional Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and Asia Pacific region. “Other countries can learn from their approaches. 18 countries have eliminated mother to child transmission of HIV globally – and 4 of these countries are in Asia Pacific region: Malaysia, Thailand, Maldives and Sri Lanka,” he added. Dr Rajesh Sambhajirao Pandav, World Health Organization Representative to Nepal, said that: "#PuttingPeopleFirst, means serving and engaging priority populations in HIV responses, particularly by countering stigma and discrimination many of these populations face, including in healthcare settings. 👉Read: https://lnkd.in/gK5x9jgv #AIDS2024 #Aids2024Munich #AIDS2024Germany #endAIDS #HIV #Asia #Pacific #AsiaPacific #EndingAIDS #MakeaDifference #UequalsU #undetectableequalsuntransmittable #Prevention #infectionprevention #diseaseprevention #HealthForAll #Access #accessibilitymatters #reachtheunreached #keypopulations #Nepal World Health Organization Nepal Sujan Govinda Amatya

The federal government's recent decision to cancel its free HIV self-testing program is ill advised. This despite an alarming rise in HIV infections writ large in recent years. In 2022, rates of HIV in Canada spiked by nearly 25%. It's the Government of Canada's job to enact policies and programs that protect our most vulnerable and marginalized communities. Almost half of the people that were benefitting from the HIV self-testing program were first-time testers; that is to say, people who didn't previously know their status. Many of these first-time testers are Black and Indigenous Canadians, typically underserved by the medical system and therefore less likely to get tested. The HIV epidemic is far from being over in this country. Those contracting the disease in 2024 often hail from marginalized communities confronted with intersecting social identities. The federal government needs to reinstate its HIV self-testing program today. You simply can't put a price tag on programs that are working and that serve our most vulnerable. https://lnkd.in/gn-hdr2w

In the recent UNAIDS’ report, we can see how advances in prevention and treatment, along with decades of global collaboration among scientists, advocates, community leaders, and donors have helped combat the virus in sub-Saharan Africa: for the first time in the history of the HIV pandemic, more new infections are occurring outside of the region than within it.     And yet, there is still so much work to do if we are to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.         Affordable and equal access to life-saving tools and technologies, increased funding, and strong leadership will be critical as we continue the fight against HIV.     Read more in the report and this article: