UNICEF

The assessment for HIV/AIDS integration in primary health care in Kazakhstan was undertaken in 2022. The overall objective of the assessment was to use findings and lessons learnt from TB and mental health integration to guide and support integration of HIV/AIDS into primary health care. A mixed methods approach combining both qualitative and quantitative assessment methods was used. Assessment report available in English and Russian.

The purpose of this study is to provide an assessment and analysis of the situation of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) in the Republic of Moldova in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, including COVID-19 awareness and concern, socioeconomic status, quality of life, mental health and social support, access to medical care/treatment (including digital methods), and stigma and develop recommendations for key government stakeholders to address the identified challenges and mitigate the negative impacts of COVID-19.

 This study considers available statistics and latest trends, including an analysis of the data before and during the pandemic, as well as quantitative and qualitative data collected in the field. The study also highlights the situation of pregnant women and children of caretakers with HIV or with HIV themselves.

Key findings: The COVID-19 pandemic has had widespread implications on the health and well-being of PLWH in the Republic of Moldova. One-fifth of PLWH in the national survey reported being severely affected by the pandemic and one-third reported being moderately affected. The multifaceted dimensions of PLWH’s vulnerabilities, compounded with restrictions during COVID-19 lockdowns, resulted in job loss, limited access to treatment, and continued stigma.

COVID-19 awareness and concern: 

• PLWH received the bulk of COVID-19-related information from online news sources and TV. Less than half of all respondents felt family doctors were a good source of information.
• Over one-third of PLWH said they were “definitely willing” to get the COVID-19 vaccine. A slightly smaller portion, reported no intention of receiving the vaccine at all.Socioeconomic indicators

Socioeconomic indicators: 

• 1 in 10 PLWH experienced job loss.
• Decrease in income was reported by half of all PLWH. Pandemic-induced income reduction was more frequent among urban dwellers.
• More than half of PLWH expressed concerns regarding financial sustainability and ability to pay daily expenses (utilities, food, drugs).
• Half of households spent savings, borrowed money, and bought cheaper food to cope with economic hardships during the COVID-19 pandemic. 2 in 5 limited their personal food consumption.
• More than half of PLWH reported anxieties tied to not being able to pay utilities and buy medication.
• Out-of-pocket expenses related to HIV care were reported by 56% of PLWH.

Quality of life: 

• Self-reported quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic was very poor to poor among over a quarter of PLWH.
• Self-reported deterioration in health during the COVID-19 pandemic was reported by 17% of PLWH. Deterioration was expressed at a higher rate among the male population.

Access to medical care/treatment: 

• Nearly 1 in 10 respondents had a lack of knowledge regarding existing HIV/AIDS programs offered by healthcare facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic and therefore had not accessed them.
• 1 in 10 PLWH reported cancelled medical visits between July 2020 – July 2021. 
• A quarter of PLWH indicated that the frequency of their visits to healthcare facilities had decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic period when compared to pre-pandemic periods. 
• Fear of contracting COVID-19 was the most cited barrier in accessing healthcare facilities, reported by 41% of PLWH. 

Find the recommendations in the report.

As part of the 2gether 4 SRHR joint UN programme, UNICEF ESARO in collaboration with Y+ Global and UNFPA ESARO, developed six key question and answer (Q&A) resource documents on HIV and SRH for adolescents and young people in ESA. The toolkit has been developed to assist country teams in improving knowledge and understanding, driving adolescent and youth engagement and behaviour change,​ and promoting uptake of services in ESA. The content has been developed with adolescents and young people. Part of a broader toolkit, the content is intended for adaptation and use across multiple SBC platforms, including digital approaches scripts for radio shows and peer counselling sessions.

Each Q&A has approximately 10 questions, and links to the other topic areas:

• Healthy relationships
• Staying safe
• Sex and other stuff
• All about HIV
• Living with HIV
• Being a young parent
• Understanding Puberty
• The HPV Vaccine
• Talking with Your Children

Click and watch on how to access and use the toolkit

Adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) encounter diverse challenges in school settings that impact their well-being and academic performance. This UNICEF-supported study sought to delve into the viewpoints of teachers and administrators regarding the care and support accessible to ALHIV in schools in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania. 

Various forms of support for ALHIV in schools were identified. Schools had designated health teachers/matrons/ patrons responsible for addressing health-related issues, including those affecting ALHIV. Assistance for clinic visits and medication adherence was readily available. Peer clubs were established to combat stigma and discrimination while providing additional support. Nevertheless, challenges such as staff members’ limited knowledge and skills, reluctance to disclose, inadequate nutritional support, and insufficient backing from regional and district administrators persist.

The study also pinpointed areas for enhancement, such as capacity building for teachers and staff, bolstering support for disclosure, offering nutritious dietary options, reinforcing peer clubs, and fostering collaboration between the education and health sectors. These findings can inform the development of comprehensive interventions to support ALHIV in school settings better, ultimately advancing their well-being and academic achievements. 

Eastern and southern Africa (ESA) is the world’s most heavily HIV-impacted region, with adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) disproportionately affected. To support the scale-up of PrEP amongst AGYW in ESA, in September 2021 UNICEF and partners released the implementation brief “Improving the Quality of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Implementation for Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Eastern and Southern Africa,” highlighting considerations to help improve the quality and coverage of AGYW PrEP programming.

The PrEP landscape has evolved significantly in the three years since the original brief was released, both in scale and variety. This updated brief summarises the most recent evidence on AGYW PrEP provision, serving as a supplement to the original 2021 implementation brief.

This document highlights opportunities for both public and private sectors to engage in the global HIV response for infants, children, and adolescents in partnership with UNICEF. Below is also a spotlight on the Global HIV and AIDS Thematic Fund, with financial results from 2023 programming.

UNICEF is a key partner and leader in the AIDS response for children, adolescents, and women. It collaborates with governments and partners worldwide, offering innovation, technical expertise, data and evidence, programme excellence, coordination, and convening power.

UNICEF is 100 per cent voluntarily funded, and is seeking support to deliver ambitious HIV results for children and to ensure the world can reach Sustainable Development Goal Target 3.3, to end the epidemic of HIV by 2030. 

UNICEF’s HIV/AIDS Thematic Fund is a global flexible funding pool. It enables us to strengthen systems to ensure an AIDS-free future for children and adolescents. This offers donors an exciting opportunity to target funding specifically to HIV/AIDS outcomes, while also giving UNICEF the flexibility to allocate funds based on where the need is greatest for children, including critically underfunded priorities at the country level, humanitarian response activities, and where funds will have the greatest impact. Thanks to our generous donors UNICEF’s Global HIV/ AIDS Thematic Fund income in 2022 reached over $5.7 million.

This document features the results achieved in 2022, when supporters of the HIV/AIDS Thematic Fund enabled UNICEF to allocate resources to 45 countries and territories. Funds were allocated to countries based on several measures determining the burden of HIV/AIDS on the population. These included the number of AIDS-related deaths in the country and the number of new infections among children and adolescents in the country. Funds were also allocated to UNICEF’s regional and global headquarters, supporting the vital work that allows thematic funding to unlock wide-scale results and impact the world over.

UNICEF's AIDS 2024 Roadmaps outline conference and pre-conference sessions related to vertical transmission, children, adolescents and HIV, which will take place in connection with the 25th International AIDS Conference in Munich, Germany, between 19-26 July, 2024. Access the full programme here.

In collaboration with WHO and UNAIDS, UNICEF is organizing the satellite session Connecting Data, Programmes, and Communities: The Global Alliance Roadmap to Ending AIDS in Children by 2030 on Monday 22 July, 11:30-13:00 CET.

For AIDS 2024, UNICEF has prepared a resource pack with a selection of UNICEF's global, regional and national knowledge products published since the last AIDS conference. A spreadsheet can be accessed below for an overview of all resources by topic, region and year of publication.

The report outlines the progress and achievements in the triple elimination of vertical transmission of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B in Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) over the last two decades. The data mentorship programme aims to strengthen national health management information systems, improve data quality, and build the analytical skills of government staff working towards elimination. It employs a unique partnership model with the private sector, academia, and government officials, focusing on capacity building through virtual and in-person mentoring, online learning platforms, and workshops. The programme has shown early successes, with mentees from various countries implementing operational plans to improve data quality and analysis in their respective countries.

Empowered mentees are taking up leadership roles that directly support national programmes and 'Path to Elimination' validation processes. The geographical expansion of the programme and the continuous exposure of mentees to technical learning opportunities will further enhance each country’s preparedness towards the 'Path to Elimination' and validation. The design, approach and delivery of this programme can be used as a blueprint for building national and regional capacity, skills building, and mentorship. While this particular data mentorship programme focuses on vertical transmission and the Path to Elimination, the principles of data quality, data sources, collection and reporting, data visualisations, and data use remain consistent across healthcare programmes and can be applied more broadly to build data use capacity in maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and sexual and reproductive health.