Abstract mentors are needed for the 22nd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2018) in Amsterdam. The Abstract Mentor Programme (AMP) was introduced at the 15th International AIDS Conference in 2004, with the objective to help young or less experienced researchers improve their abstracts before submitting them, in order to increase the chance of their work being presented at conferences.
AFEW International, together with its network members from Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) is getting ready for AFEW’s Regional autumn school to be held in Almaty, Kazakhstan from October 30 till November 3, 2017. The autumn school will provide the platform for learning, exchange, strategizing and planning for community members and NGO partners from 10 different countries. The regional autumn school is an annual event that takes place as a part of ‘Bridging the Gaps: Health and Rights for Key Populations’ regional approach of AFEW.
In 2005, more than 300 inmates had tuberculosis in Tajikistan, this year – only 100. The rate of new infections has also been declining: 77 cases in 2016, 59 over the last eight months. Last year, seven prisoners died from mycobacterium tuberculosis, this year we had zero deaths from TB. Almost all correctional institutions have special TB hospitals for 5–10 beds, as in prison settings one TB carrier could infect tens of people within a year.
Council of Europe Co-operation Group to Combat Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Drugs published a new publication “Drug Treatment Systems in Prisons in Eastern and Southeastern Europe”. The publication sheds light into the situation of drug users among criminal justice populations and corresponding health care responses in ten countries in Eastern and Southeastern Europe: Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia, and Ukraine. AFEW’s board member Vladimir Mendelevich is one of the contributors of the publication.
From early 2018, HIV rapid testing in Kazakhstan will be available based in the non-governmental organizations (NGOs). With the President of Central Asian Association of People Living with HIV and the ‘Kazakhstan Union of People Living with HIV’ Nurali Amanzholov we are talking about advantages, mechanisms and preparatory work associated with this innovative step in fighting HIV.
Board Chair of AFEW International Jeffrey V. Lazarus has recently become one of the 2017 HCV Change Makers from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The Change Makers programme recognises 18 Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) innovators doing exemplary work in the programme’s three thematic areas: multi-stakeholder approaches; screening; and technology. Their ground-breaking efforts can inspire and guide their peers on the path to HCV elimination. The programme also aims to spark debate and action on HCV policy and access to care.
According to the UNAIDS estimates, there is around 1.5 million people living with HIV in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Republic of Tajikistan registered 348 new cases of HIV infection in Tajikistan in the first half of 2017. There is a compulsory rule for newly married couples in Tajikistan now: the couple has to submit not only the application for marriage to the registry office, but also the results of a comprehensive medical examination, including the test on HIV. Authorities believe that these measures will facilitate the creation of strong families and the birth of healthy children.
Today, 3,055 people in Kyrgyzstan receive ART. It makes 56% of all patients who are aware of their disease and 35% from the estimated amount of people living with HIV. According to the UNAIDS goals, the country has three years left to achieve the 90% treatment coverage of people diagnosed with HIV.
During the meeting, 50 representatives of state, public and international organizations from Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, Khatlon and Sughd Region, and the city of Dushanbe talked about the interaction of state and public organizations in providing integrated and coordinated services to key populations in the field of HIV, TB/HIV.
The project ‘Improved TB/HIV Prevention & Care – Building Models for the Future’ is aimed at increasing government recognition of the role and quality of the non-public sector for TB/HIV service delivery, providing TB/HIV services according to agreed standards, encouraging civil society to be the active participant in monitoring quality of services, ensuring that clients have affordable options and trust in service provision, stronger linkages between government, project and civil society.
