HIV and AIDS/STI and TB Multisectoral Strategic Plan and Implementation Framework 2015 - 2020

EAC HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan.pdf

This strategic plan lays out the strategic intents for East African Community (EAC) HIV and AIDS program for the period 2015-2020. The plan will set the boundaries within which the EAC will implement its HIV and AIDS, TB and STIs interventions within the spheres of its mandate. The costed plan will further be a tool for resource mobilization as well as being a reference point for addressing HIV and AIDS, TB and STIs issues that are trans-boundary in nature within the region.

Specific Objectives of the strategic plan includes: 
• To reduce new cases of HIV by 60%, TB by 50% and STIs by 50% by 2020 in the EAC region
• To reduce HIV and TB related mortality by 75% by 2020 in the EAC region
• To increase access and utilization of integrated HIV, TB and STI services by 50% in 2020 

Even though all Partner States have generalized HIV epidemics, with some of the highest rates of TB infection and disease burden in the world, there are still higher levels of infection and transmission within certain geographic areas, as well as among some key populations and venerable groups. Although this strategic plan promotes a broad framework for addressing HIV, STIs and TB at a general population level, it also identifies priority populations that should be targeted for specific prevention, care, treatment and support interventions based on the analysis of the EAC epidemic. The risk of HIV, STIs or TB is not equal for all populations. In the context of this strategic plan and for the purpose of regional programming, the priority populations include, but it not limited to:

• Adolescent girls and young women
• Migrant populations and mobile workers.
• Orphans and other vulnerable children and adolescents
• People with disabilities
• Young people in and out of school
• Adolescents living with HIV and AIDS
• Infant and young children

This strategic plan makes provision that these populations will be targeted with different, but specific, interventions during implementation to achieve maximum impact. The EAC in collaboration with partner states will ensure geographical mapping and geographical prioritization of interventions for Key and Vulnerable populations for HIV and TB especially for regional aspects of the response.

National Strategic Plan for HIV Prevention, Care and Treatment for Sex Workers. First Edition 2013

Draft National Sex worker strategy.pdf

This strategic document is expected to provide a framework to all service providers to create an environment that will enable and empower sex workers to reduce their own risk of HIV/STIs acquisition and/or transmission, to seek and get appropriate early diagnosis and treatment of HIV/STIs and to address structural issues related to HIV and sex work.

Further, this strategy will create a benchmark against which the services provided to sex workers will be monitored and evaluated to inform continuous improvement in our quest to improve access, uptake and effective utilisation of HIV prevention activities.

The development of the South African National Sex Worker HIV Prevention and Treatment Programme (NSWP) is a result of unified energies and efforts from the National Sex Work Technical Working Group, which consists of sex workers, human rights activists, public health specialists and donor agencies who dedicated their time to ensure that the strategy was completed.

This strategy marks a new chapter in South Africa’s efforts to respond to the HIV/AIDS challenge.

South African National AIDS Council. National Strategic Plan for HIV Prevention, Care and Treatment for Sex Workers. (2013). Pretoria, South Africa.

Building the assets to thrive: Addressing the HIV-related vulnerabilities of adolescent girls in Ethiopia

2014PGY_BuildingAssetsPolicyBrief.pdf

In Eastern and Southern Africa, HIV is the leading cause of death among girls aged 15–19. Despite decades of investment and substantial progress against HIV, adolescent girls remain at disproportionate risk of infection.

This policy brief summarizes Building the Assets to Thrive to provide policymakers and program planners with a road map for creating and supporting evidence-based, locally responsive, simple, effective, scalable, and sustainable programs that produce positive outcomes for girls and their communities.

A Systematic Review of Health System Barriers and Enablers for Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) for HIV-Infected Pregnant and Postpartum Women

Health Systems Barriers for ART.pdf

Despite global progress in the fight to reduce maternal mortality, HIV-related maternal deaths remain persistently high, particularly in much of Africa. Lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART) appears to be the most effective way to prevent these deaths, but the rates of three key outcomes—ART initiation, retention in care, and long-term ART adherence—remain low. This systematic review synthesized evidence on health systems factors affecting these outcomes in pregnant and postpartum women living with HIV.

There has been a lack of emphasis on the experiences, needs and vulnerabilities particular to HIV-infected pregnant and postpartum women. Supporting these women to successfully traverse the maternal ART cascade requires carefully designed and targeted interventions throughout the steps. Careful design of integrated service delivery models is of critical importance in this effort. Key knowledge gaps and research priorities were also identified, including definitions and indicators of adherence rates, and the importance of cumulative measures of dropout along the maternal ART cascade