PAHO/WHO, UNAIDS call for intensified HIV prevention efforts

PAHO News Release

November 30, 2017 at 3:35 pm

Washington, D.C. (TDN)
– Expanding coverage of all available HIV prevention options will reduce the number of new HIV cases in Latin America and the Caribbean, which has remained at 120,000 per year since 2010, says a new report from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), WHO Regional Office for the Americas and UNAIDS.

Released on the eve of World AIDS Day, the report, “Focus on HIV Prevention – A Health Sector Perspective in Latin America and the Caribbean,” analyses the progress and challenges faced by health systems in preventing the spread of HIV. “We have seen significant progress in the fight against HIV in Latin America and the Caribbean, with significant reductions in childhood infection rates, improved treatment outcomes, and fewer AIDS-related deaths. But we have not seen the same success in reducing new cases among adults,” said Carissa F. Etienne, Director of the Pan American Health Organization. “Preventing new infections requires intensified efforts to ensure that the most vulnerable have access to all options and new technologies in a non-discriminatory environment.” The report advocates for a so-called integrated prevention approach, which is based on scientific evidence, respect for human rights and non-discrimination and includes three elements: providing users with a comprehensive package of biomedical interventions, promoting healthy behaviours and creating an enabling environment for access to and use of prevention measures. According to the report and UNAIDS data, the majority (64%) of new HIV cases occur among gay men and other men who have sex with men, sex workers and their clients, transgender women, people who self-inject drugs and couples belonging to these key populations. In addition, one in three new infections occur among young people aged 15 to 24 years. “Reducing new HIV infections among key populations and the most vulnerable, including women and young people, requires specific, effective HIV prevention actions, access to evidence, access to treatment for all and joint action against discrimination,” said César Núñez, UNAIDS Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. Equally important, he added, was “an unwavering commitment to respect, gender equality and the protection and promotion of human rights, including the right to health.”
Provides a range of prevention methods
Health services can now offer many scientifically proven prevention options to help people prevent HIV infection and protect their health. These include new options, such as self-administered HIV tests that can be done at home, and HIV testing outside of health centres. Two in 10 people living with HIV in Latin America and four in 10 in the Caribbean are unaware of their infection, an improvement from last year. Early diagnosis improves the quality of life of people living with HIV and also helps prevent new infections. Other recommendations include offering pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to people at high risk of contracting HIV, and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) in emergency situations, such as when someone has sex with a partner without knowing that person’s HIV status. Although the Region of the Americas pioneered early research that supported WHO’s 2015 recommendation to adopt PrEP, only three countries in the region currently offer PrEP in their public health services. The report also advocates the distribution of condoms and lubricants, the provision of syphilis testing at the same time as HIV testing, and universal access to treatment, which significantly improves the health of people living with HIV while also reducing their risk of infecting their partners. The report also recommends promoting peer-led community outreach to provide health information and education. The report warns against relying on international funding to provide prevention actions for key populations (such as peer education and non-governmental organizations to provide condoms and testing), while also emphasizing that civil society can play a decisive role in improving the effectiveness of HIV responses, especially in the field of prevention. The report calls on governments, civil society and international organizations to work together to accelerate the introduction of new prevention technologies, expand the availability of prevention programs, and ensure universal access to HIV prevention services to reduce new infections and eliminate the AIDS epidemic by 2030.
Eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis in the Caribbean
On December 1, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Montserrat and St. Kitts and Nevis will receive WHO certification for elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis. Experts from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, UNAIDS, the PAHS/CARICOM and the Regional Certification Commission, as well as Prime Minister Timothy Harris of St. Kitts and Nevis, will announce the achievement and present the efforts made to achieve this goal as well as progress at the regional level. In attendance will be the Minister of Health and other senior officials from each of the honored islands. The six countries and territories are the second in the Americas region to receive this recognition, following Cuba in 2015. To date, only two countries in the world have received WHO dual HIV elimination certification, while Armenia and the Republic of Moldova have achieved the global elimination goals of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis, respectively. The ceremony will take place at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort at 4:00 pm ET and will be live streamed at livestream.com/pahotv/EMTCT.
HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean, 2016*
• As of 2016, an estimated 310,000 people (280,000-350,000) are living with HIV in the Caribbean
• Approximately 18,000 new HIV infections in the region (15,000-22,000).
• An estimated 9,400 (7,300-12,000) people died from AIDS-related illnesses in the Caribbean.
• AIDS-related deaths in the region fell by 28% between 2010 and 2016.
• Treatment coverage for people living with HIV in the Caribbean reached 52% (41%-60%).
• Fewer than 1,000 children in the Caribbean are newly infected with HIV.