Vijana Against HIV/AIDs and Drug Abuse

MESSAGE BY HER EXCELLENCY MARGARET KENYATTA, FIRST LADY OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA, TO COMMEMORATE WORLD AIDS DAY ON 1ST DECEMBER 2020.

This day is set aside to raise awareness of the HIV pandemic.

It calls on us to unite and reaffirm our commitment to stop new HIV infections, support those infected and affected by HIV, and remember those who have lost their lives due to AIDS.

Thirty two years since World AIDS Day was first dedicated towards awareness and global solidarity in the AIDS response, the importance of this day reminds us that we still have not won the war.

This year’s theme emphasizes Global Solidarity, Shared Responsibility. It calls on us to come together as a community to scale up our efforts towards ending HIV, protecting people living with AIDS and shielding those who are most at risk.

We are reminded that our efforts will continue to be challenged because of the changing health landscape, especially this year, when the whole world’s attention has been focused on the COVID 19 pandemic.

This pandemic has heightened our attention towards the vulnerability of the human race. It has challenged our realization of the delicate complexity of our health systems and it has reminded us that we must remain resilient.

Kenya’s HIV prevalence rates over the years have come down considerably to less than 4.5%; this shows a positive trajectory that has required both individual and collective effort.

Our efforts have won us recognition on issues concerning protection of women and children and promotion of equal opportunities towards their health and development. Our efforts must not be eroded; our gains must continue towards the global end to HIV.

There is critical need for increased awareness and resources for prevention and treatment of HIV especially amongst our youth, and more work to protect people living with AIDS from stigma and discrimination.

Through Beyond Zero, I committed to support Government efforts towards achieving our national targets to heed the global call towards ending HIV.

I strongly advocate for zero new infections and zero mother to child transmission of HIV. I continue to encourage mothers to attend at least four antenatal checks where they can receive free testing. For seropositive mothers, please attend post-natal clinics and adhere to the prescribed anti-retroviral treatment protocol.

I congratulate all county government efforts towards increased investment and resources to fight this virus through their Elimination of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV Business Plans; these are critical vehicles for target setting and tracking.

I urge for more collaboration, resource allocation and support through partnerships with national and international partners to scale up and expand access to prevent the spread of HIV for our mothers, our children and our youth.

I applaud the work of our community health worker for their tireless work and dedication to ensure that pregnant mothers in their community deliver their babies in a health facility and receive proper health care.

I am confident that together, we can achieve our national prevalence target of 0% through our collective actions.

MARGARET KENYATTA,
FIRST LADY OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA

[9:54 AM, 6/26/2020]: Hi there,

You are invited to a Zoom webinar.
When: Jun 26, 2020 10:00 AM Nairobi
Topic: International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking 2020

Register in advance for this webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_VHb09w5tTNWYU3FRPQsmzw

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
[9:55 AM, 6/26/2020] alice: Mental Health is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking 2020
Time: Jun 26, 2020 10:00 AM Nairobi

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87108704106?pwd=RWwwQWx2SEppTFVwU3Zyc2MwazJTdz09

Meeting ID: 871 0870 4106
Password: 974914
One tap mobile
+12532158782,,87108704106 #,,,,0 #,,974914 # US (Tacoma)
+13017158592,,87108704106 #,,,,0 #,,974914 # US (Germantown)

Dial by your location
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)
Meeting ID: 871 0870 4106
Password: 974914
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kb8RqzwYAy
[9:56 AM, 6/26/2020] alice: 1. Does an addictive personality exist?
2. What are the key ingredients for a successful recovery from drug and alcohol use?
3. How can parents prevent children from getting into drugs and alcohol abuse during this pandemic?
• What possible interventions would be effective in such cases
4. Why do people with substance use disorders (most of them) relapse?
• Is it a sign of failure?
5. Is addiction a disease or a moral failing?

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking 2020. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking 2020. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.

According to World Health Organization, To***co kills more than 8 million people globally every year. More than 7 million of these deaths are from direct to***co use and around 1.2 million are due to non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.

To***co smoking is a known risk factor for many respiratory infections and increases the severity of respiratory diseases. A review of studies by public health experts convened by WHO on 29 April 2020 found that smokers are more likely to develop severe disease with COVID-19, compared to non-smokers.

COVID-19 is an infectious disease that primarily attacks the lungs. Smoking impairs lung function making it harder for the body to fight off coronaviruses and other diseases. To***co is also a major risk factor for noncommunicable diseases like cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory disease and diabetes which put people with these conditions at higher risk for developing severe illness when affected by COVID-19. Available research suggests that smokers are at higher risk of developing severe disease and death. ***coDay2020

Eliud Kipchoge wants to inspire everyone to take the brakes off in their heads and believe the impossible is possible.

On October 12th Eliud wants to break the last barrier in modern athletics the Sub 2-hour marathon and inspire others to believe they can overcome their own personal barriers. He believes that . Who sets the limits anyway?
1:59

Not only is HIV-related discrimination a human rights violation, but it is also necessary to address such discrimination and stigma in order to achieve public health goals such as Universal Health Coverage and overcome the epidemic.

BORROWED & EDITED

A LETTER TO KENYAN GRADUATES FROM A CEO

Whether you got first class, second class, pass, whether you studied law, software engineering, production, chemical, actuarial, education... THERE ARE NO JOBS.

The first thing you need to do as a graduate is to separate yourself from that sense of entitlement, that thinking that you deserve the best because you worked hard in school. Life out there is different.

Secondly as a graduate, for a moment don't be fixated on what you studied, most people are employed in fields that they did not study, they end up doing well and pursuing it as a career. I studied BA in Sociology and Linguistics in my Undergraduate and would probably be a senior Administrator in the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of Government by now. But I got a kibarua at the Nation Media Group as a Marketing Assistant three months after leaving KU. I did the job so well that after completing the three months contract the bosses wanted to retain me. There was an opening at the Editorial Department and I was interviewed for it. I made it and ended doing Nine Years at the NMG and honing my skills as a journalist. You won't always get a job in the field you trained in.

Third, when you graduate don't limit yourself to the big companies you read in the newspaper because everyone is applying there and they can't absorb every graduate.

Trying your luck in the so called funny, small organizations that are down town could see you a manager in two years, unlike being an intern at PWC, KEMRI or those so called blue chip companies.

Fourth, getting regret or no response does not mean you stop applying. I know someone who made more than 1000 applications over a period of one year before they got their first job "Intern" then retained in the same organization.

Fifth, the attitude you display when doing your first job will determine your growth. At a car wash, you may strike a conversation with a CEO of a company, as a waiter, as a cleaner.

I know of a friend who picked a messengers job in Unga Limited, today he is a senior manager in production right from the other managers sending him to buy Mandazi, and one day they asked what he studied.

When you are in sales, you could be selling loans, insurance, utensils to your next employer. The concept of getting such a job is to get you out of the house, interact with people and connect you to the next level.

Sitting in the house as a graduate will not change your life, complaining on Twitter will not bring a job. Sending 1, 2, 20 applications is not enough until you get an opportunity.
If you find a company or someone willing to absorb you as an intern even if you have a masters take it, that 3 months on job training can change your life.

Going for a masters in the same field you studied that has made you jobless is a mistake, employers start seeing you overqualified for junior position and unqualified for senior position because you don't have work experience.

Getting a job before masters opens your mind beyond textbook knowledge and you start seeing which careers you can pursue that suit your experience.

Finally, all you need is a job (employed or self-employed) to enable get money to print your CV, buy nice clothes for the next interviews to your dream job.

- Mwenda Thuranira

Anxiety and fear about your status is completely normal. The test only takes a few minutes and it is the only way of knowing ones status.

.Health4Justice

Let's stand in solidarity with those who suffer from substance Use Disorders.

The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, also known as 'World Drug Day', is celebrated annually on 26 June. The theme of World Drug Day 2019 is "Health for Justice. Justice for Health."
This year's theme highlights that justice and health are two sides of the same coin when it comes to addressing drug problems.
Effective responses to the world drug problem require inclusive and accountable institutions of criminal justice, health and social services to work hand in hand to provide integrated solutions, in line with the international drug control conventions, human rights obligations and the Sustainable Development Goals.
UNODC encourages individuals, non-profit organizations, the private sector and Member States to get involved in its social media campaign to mark this day and invites them to draw on the resources provided in the social media

For every $1 spent on drug prevention, at least $10 can be saved in future health, social and crime costs.

On Wednesday's , UNODC - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime calls on all countries to help people avoid initiation into drug use and ensure their right to health.

5 free United Nations online courses you can take anywhere, anytime Learn how the United Nations tackles some of the most pressing human rights issues of our time. In this article we have compiled a list of free UN Courses that are accessible for everyone, everywhere. Offered

https://www.tuko.co.ke/304696-pakistani-police-arrest-doctor-infecting-90-people-hiv-using-contaminated-syringe.html #304696

Police arrest doctor for infecting 90 people with HIV using contaminated syringe Police in Pakistan have arrested a doctor over allegations of infecting at least 90 people with HIV through a contaminated syringe.

pmh The 2nd International Public Mental Health Conference, of the European Public Health Association (EUPHA) Section on Public Mental Health will take place on June 19-21, 2019 in Jerusalem.

Happy Women's Day to all the women here

'Like hearing their voices': Researcher a**lyzes su***de notes to save lives The search for clues about why people choose to die by su***de often starts with the words they leave behind. Dr. Rahel Eynan, a scientist with the Lawson Health Research Institute in London, Ont., is unravelling such mysteries one heart-wrenching note at a time.

#1 rule for WHAT TO SAY: be human (show compassion, listen, respect).
If you are being challenged by people who don't know what to say, give them this list. Tell people what you want and expect to hear. Tell them that anything less is not acceptable to you.
Infographic from https://www.facebook.com/MentalHealthandInvisibleIllnessResources/
Sometimes we have to spell things out to people.
We are in new territory, the uncharted mental health world that has much to learn. Learning shouldn't be on the backs of those who struggle. But we can certainly help lead and direct the change.

Every day, about 800 people in Europe die from alcohol-attributable causes According to a recently published WHO fact sheet, Europe is still challenged by the need to reduce the burden of alcohol. Levels of alcohol consumption, and harm attributable to alcohol, remain very high – causing about 800 deaths a day.

Non Communicable diseases (NCDs) kill 41 million people each year, equivalent to 71% of all deaths globally.
Each year, 15 million people die from a NCD between the ages of 30 and 69 years; over 85% of these "premature" deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.
Non Communicable - or chronic - diseases are diseases of long duration and generally slow progression. The four main types of noncommunicable diseases are cardiovascular diseases (like heart attacks and stroke), cancer, chronic respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructed pulmonary disease and asthma) and diabetes.
These 4 groups of diseases account for over 80% of all premature NCD deaths.
To***co use, physical inactivity, the harmful use of alcohol and unhealthy diets all increase the risk of dying from a NCD.
Detection, screening and treatment of NCDs, as well as palliative care, are key components of the response to NCDs. - World Health Organisation

May the year 2019 be of blessings to all of us

Happy New Year and a prosperous 2019

S*x addiction is officially a mental illness Compulsive s*x behavior has been classified as a mental illness for the first time. Its inclusion on the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases list comes a few …

Home/News/Fact sheets/Detail/HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS
19 July 2018
中文 Français Русский Español
Key facts
HIV continues to be a major global public health issue, having claimed more than 35 million lives so far. In 2017, 940 000 people died from HIV-related causes globally.
There were approximately 36.9 million people living with HIV at the end of 2017 with 1.8 million people becoming newly infected in 2017 globally.
59% of adults and 52% of children living with HIV were receiving lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART) in 2017.
Global ART coverage for pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV is high at 80%.
The WHO African Region is the most affected region, with 25.7 million people living with HIV in 2017. The African region also accounts for over two thirds of the global total of new HIV infections.
HIV infection is often diagnosed through rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), which detect the presence or absence of HIV antibodies. Most often these tests provide same-day test results, which are essential for same day diagnosis and early treatment and care.
Key populations are groups who are at increased risk of HIV irrespective of epidemic type or local context. They include: men who have s*x with men, people who inject drugs, people in prisons and other closed settings, s*x workers and their clients, and transgender people.
Key populations often have legal and social issues related to their behaviours that increase vulnerability to HIV and reduce access to testing and treatment programmes.
In 2017, an estimated 47% of new infections occurred among key populations and their partners.
There is no cure for HIV infection. However, effective antiretroviral (ARV) drugs can control the virus and help prevent transmission so that people with HIV, and those at substantial risk, can enjoy healthy, long and productive lives.
It is estimated that currently only 75% of people with HIV know their status. In 2017, 21.7 million people living with HIV were receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) globally.
Between 2000 and 2017, new HIV infections fell by 36%, and HIV-related deaths fell by 38% with 11.4 million lives saved due to ART in the same period. This achievement was the result of great efforts by national HIV programmes supported by civil society and a range of development partners.
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) targets the immune system and weakens people's defence systems against infections and some types of cancer. As the virus destroys and impairs the function of immune cells, infected individuals gradually become immunodeficient. Immune function is typically measured by CD4 cell count.
Immunodeficiency results in increased susceptibility to a wide range of infections, cancers and other diseases that people with healthy immune systems can fight off.

The most advanced stage of HIV infection is Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), which can take from 2 to 15 years to develop depending on the individual. AIDS is defined by the development of certain cancers, infections, or other severe clinical manifestations.

Signs and symptoms
The symptoms of HIV vary depending on the stage of infection. Though people living with HIV tend to be most infectious in the first few months, many are unaware of their status until later stages. The first few weeks after initial infection, individuals may experience no symptoms or an influenza-like illness including fever, headache, rash, or sore throat.

As the infection progressively weakens the immune system, an individual can develop other signs and symptoms, such as swollen lymph nodes, weight loss, fever, diarrhoea and cough. Without treatment, they could also develop severe illnesses such as tuberculosis, cryptococcal meningitis, severe bacterial infections and cancers such as lymphomas and Kaposi's sarcoma, among others.

Transmission
HIV can be transmitted via the exchange of a variety of body fluids from infected individuals, such as blood, breast milk, semen and vaginal secretions. Individuals cannot become infected through ordinary day-to-day contact such as kissing, hugging, shaking hands, or sharing personal objects, food or water.

Risk factors
Behaviours and conditions that put individuals at greater risk of contracting HIV include:

having unprotected a**l or vaginal s*x;
having another s*xually transmitted infection such as syphilis, herpes, chlamydia, gonorrhoea, and bacterial vaginosis;
sharing contaminated needles, syringes and other injecting equipment and drug solutions when injecting drugs;
receiving unsafe injections, blood transfusions, tissue transplantation, medical procedures that involve unsterile cutting or piercing; and
experiencing accidental needle stick injuries, including among health workers.
Diagnosis
Serological tests, such as RDTs or enzyme immunoassays (EIAs), detect the presence or absence of antibodies to HIV-1/2 and/or HIV p24 antigen. No single HIV test can provide an HIV-positive diagnosis. It is important that these tests are used in combination and in a specific order that has been validated and is based on HIV prevalence of the population being tested. HIV infection can be detected with great accuracy, using WHO prequalified tests within a validated approach.

It is important to note that serological tests detect antibodies produced by an individual as part of their immune system to fight off foreign pathogens, rather than direct detection of HIV itself.

Most individuals develop antibodies to HIV within 28 days of infection and therefore antibodies may not be detectable early, during the so-called window period. This early period of infection represents the time of greatest infectivity; however HIV transmission can occur during all stages of the infection.

It is best practice to also retest all people initially diagnosed as HIV-positive before they enroll in care and/or treatment to rule out any potential testing or reporting error. Notably, once a person diagnosed with HIV and has started treatment they should not be retested.

Testing and diagnosis of HIV-exposed infants has been a challenge. For infants and children less than 18 months of age, serological testing is not sufficient to identify HIV infection – virological testing must be provided (at 6 weeks of age, or as early as birth) to detect the presence of the virus in infants born to mothers living with HIV. However, new technologies are now becoming available to perform the test at the point of care and enable return of the result on the same day to accelerate appropriate linkage and treatment initiation.

HIV testing services
HIV testing should be voluntary and the right to decline testing should be recognized. Mandatory or coerced testing by a health care provider, authority, or by a partner or family member is not acceptable as it undermines good public health practice and infringes on human rights.

New technologies to help people test themselves are being introduced, with many countries implementing self-testing as an additional option to encourage HIV diagnosis. HIV self-testing is a process whereby a person who wants to know his or her HIV status collects a specimen, performs a test and interprets the test results in private or with someone they trust. HIV self-testing does not provide a definitive HIV-positive diagnosis – instead, it is an initial test which requires further testing by a health worker.

The s*xual partners and drug injecting partners of people diagnosed with HIV infection have an increased probability of also being HIV-positive. WHO recommends assisted HIV partner notification services as a simple and effective way to reach these partners, many of whom are undiagnosed and unaware of their HIV exposure, and may welcome support and an opportunity to test for HIV.

All HIV testing services must follow the 5 Cs principles recommended by WHO:

informed Consent
Confidentiality
Counselling
Correct test results
Connection (linkage to care, treatment and other services).
Prevention
Individuals can reduce the risk of HIV infection by limiting exposure to risk factors. Key approaches for HIV prevention, which are often used in combination, are listed below.

Male and female condom use
Correct and consistent use of male and female condoms during vaginal or a**l pe*******on can protect against the spread of s*xually transmitted infections, including HIV. Evidence shows that male latex condoms have an 85% or greater protective effect against HIV and other s*xually transmitted infections (STIs).

Testing and counselling for HIV and STIs
Testing for HIV and other STIs is strongly advised for all people exposed to any of the risk factors. This way people learn of their own infection status and access necessary prevention and treatment services without delay. WHO also recommends offering testing for partners or couples. Additionally, WHO is recommending assisted partner notification approaches so that people with HIV receive support to inform their partners either on their own, or with the help of health care providers.

Testing and counselling, linkages to tuberculosis care
Tuberculosis (TB) is the most common presenting illness and cause of death among people with HIV. It is fatal if undetected or untreated and is the leading cause of death among people with HIV, responsible for more than 1 of 3 HIV-associated deaths.

Early detection of TB and prompt linkage to TB treatment and ART can prevent these deaths. TB screening should be offered routinely at HIV care services and routine HIV testing should be offered to all patients with presumptive and diagnosed TB. Individuals who are diagnosed with HIV and active TB should urgently start effective TB treatment (including for multidrug resistant TB) and ART. TB preventive therapy should be offered to all people with HIV who do not have active TB.

Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC)
Medical male circumcision, reduces the risk of heteros*xually acquired HIV infection in men by approximately 60%. This is a key prevention intervention supported in 15 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) with high HIV prevalence and low male circumcision rates. VMMC is also regarded as a good approach to reach men and adolescent boys who do not often seek health care services. Since the 2007 WHO recommendation for VMMC as an additional prevention strategy, over 18 million adolescent boys and men in ESA were provided a package of services including HIV testing and education on safer s*x and condom use.

Antiretroviral drug use for prevention
Prevention benefits of ART
A 2011 trial has confirmed that if an HIV-positive person adheres to an effective ART regimen, the risk of transmitting the virus to their uninfected s*xual partner can be reduced by 96%. The WHO recommendation to initiate ART in all people living with HIV will contribute significantly to reducing HIV transmission.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV-negative partner
Oral PrEP of HIV is the daily use of ARV drugs by HIV-negative people to block the acquisition of HIV. More than 10 randomized controlled studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of PrEP in reducing HIV transmission among a range of populations including serodiscordant heteros*xual couples (where one partner is infected and the other is not), men who have s*x with men, transgender women, high-risk heteros*xual couples, and people who inject drugs.

WHO recommends PrEP as a prevention choice for people at substantial risk of HIV infection as part of a combination of prevention approaches. WHO has also expanded these recommendations to HIV-negative women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Post-exposure prophylaxis for HIV (PEP)
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is the use of ARV drugs within 72 hours of exposure to HIV in order to prevent infection. PEP includes counselling, first aid care, HIV testing, and administration of a 28-day course of ARV drugs with follow-up care. WHO recommends PEP use for both occupational and non-occupational exposures and for adults and children.

Harm reduction for people who inject and use drugs
People who inject drugs can take precautions against becoming infected with HIV by using sterile injecting equipment, including needles and syringes, for each injection and not sharing drug using equipment and drug solutions. Treatment of dependence, and in particular opioid substitution therapy for people dependent on opioids, also helps reduce the risk of HIV transmission and supports adherence to HIV treatment. A comprehensive package of interventions for HIV prevention and treatment includes:

needle and syringe programmes;
opioid substitution therapy for people dependent on opioids and other evidence-based drug dependence treatment;
HIV testing and counselling;
HIV treatment and care;
risk-reduction information and education and provision of naloxone;
access to condoms; and
management of STIs, tuberculosis and viral hepatitis.
Elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (EMTCT)
The transmission of HIV from an HIV-positive mother to her child during pregnancy, labour, delivery or breastfeeding is called vertical or mother-to-child transmission (MTCT). In the absence of any interventions during these stages, rates of HIV transmission from mother-to-child can be between 15–45%. MTCT can be nearly fully prevented if both the mother and the baby are provided with ARV drugs as early as possible in pregnancy and during the period of breastfeeding.

WHO recommends lifelong ART for all people living with HIV, regardless of their CD4 count clinical stage of disease, and this includes women who pregnant or breastfeeding. In 2017, 80% of the estimated 1.1 million pregnant women living with HIV globally received ARV treatments to prevent transmission to their children. A growing number of countries are achieving very low rates of MTCT and some (Armenia, Belarus, Cuba and Thailand) have been formally validated for elimination of MTCT of HIV as a public health problem. Several countries with a high burden of HIV infection are also progressing along the path to elimination.

Treatment
HIV can be suppressed by combination ART consisting of 3 or more ARV drugs. ART does not cure HIV infection but suppresses viral replication within a person's body and allows an individual's immune system to strengthen and regain the capacity to fight off infections.

In 2016, WHO released the second edition of the Consolidated guidelines on the use of antiretroviral drugs for treating and preventing HIV infection. These guidelines recommend to provide lifelong ART to all people living with HIV, including children, adolescents and adults, pregnant and breastfeeding women, regardless of clinical status or CD4 cell count. By mid-2018, 163 countries already have adopted this recommendation, which covers 98% of all PLHIV globally.

Consolidated guidelines on the use of antiretroviral drugs for treating and preventing HIV infection
The 2016 guidelines include new alternative ARV options with better tolerability, higher efficacy, and lower rates of treatment discontinuation when compared with medicines being used currently: dolutegravir and low-dose efavirenz for first-line therapy, and raltegravir and darunavir/ritonavir for second-line therapy.

Transition to dolutegravir has already started in 24 low- and middle-income countries and is expected to improve the durability of the treatment and the quality of care of people living with HIV. Despite improvements, limited options remain for infants and young children. For this reason, WHO and partners are coordinating efforts to enable a faster and more effective development and introduction of age-appropriate pediatric formulations of antiretrovirals.

In addition, 1 in 3 people living with HIV present to care with advanced disease, at low CD4 counts and at high risk of serious illness and death. To reduce this risk, WHO recommends that these patients receive a “package of care” that includes testing for and prevention of the most common serious infections that can cause death, such as tuberculosis and cryptococcal meningitis, in addition to ART.

Based on WHO’s new recommendations to treat all people living with HIV, the number of people eligible for ART has increased from 28 million to all 36.9 million people living with HIV.

In 2017, 21.7 million people living with HIV were receiving ART globally. In 2017, a global ART coverage of 59% of adults and children living with HIV was reached. However, more efforts are needed to scale up treatment, particularly for children and adolescents. Only 52% of them were receiving ARVs at the end of 2017 and WHO is supporting countries to accelerate their efforts to timely diagnose and treat these vulnerable populations.

Expanding access to treatment is at the heart of a set of targets for 2020 which aim to bring the world on track to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.

WHO response
The Sixty-ninth World Health Assembly endorsed a new Global Health Sector Strategy on HIV for 2016-2021. The strategy includes 5 strategic directions that guide priority actions by countries and by WHO over the next six years.

The strategic directions are:

Information for focused action (know your epidemic and response).
Interventions for impact (covering the range of services needed).
Delivering for equity (covering the populations in need of services).
Financing for sustainability (covering the costs of services).
Innovation for acceleration (looking towards the future).
WHO is a cosponsor of the Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS). Within UNAIDS, WHO leads activities on HIV treatment and care, HIV and tuberculosis co-infection, and jointly coordinates with UNICEF the work on the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.