2015

Young transgender people’s immediate HIV risk is related primarily to sexual behaviours, especially unprotected anal sex with an HIV positive partner, but structural factors in addition to those already noted make young transgender people especially vulnerable to HIV. Stigma and discrimination against transgender people frequently cause them to be rejected by their families and denied healthcare services, including access to HIV testing, counselling and treatment.

It has long been acknowledged that sex workers – female, male and transgender – are at high risk of HIV exposure, especially in low- and middle-income countries. This is due in part to a high number of sexual partners and working environment which is not conducive to sex workers’ being able to protect their health and the health of their clients, including widespread criminalisation of sex work, violence perpetrated by both state and non-state actors and extreme levels of stigma and discrimination.

This brief offers a concise account of current knowledge respond to the overlapping vulnerabilities of young people concerning the HIV risk and vulnerability of young people who inject drugs or the specific legal challenges and ethical who inject drugs; the barriers and constraints they face concerns in working with children. These vulnerabilities to appropriate services; examples of programmes that require responses that may go beyond the harm-reduction programmes recognized as effective for adults.

This technical brief is one in a series addressing four young key populations. It is intended for policy-makers, donors, service-planners, service-providers and community-led organizations. This brief aims to catalyse and inform discussions about: how best to provide health services, examples of programmes that may work well in addressing their needs and rights, and approaches and considerations for providing services, programmes and support for young men who have sex with men (MSM).

Synthesis Report of the Rapid Assessment of Adolescent and HIV Programme Context in Five Countries: Botswana, Cameroon, Jamaica, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.

The assessment process described in this report was designed to support countries to strengthen the adolescent component of their national HIV programmes. Through the review of existing data on HIV, health and development in adolescents the assessments are a systematic way to identify equity and performance gaps affecting adolescent HIV programming.

In December 2015 during World AIDS Day, U-Report polled 10 countries around HIV/AIDS. One of the main findings was that fear was a key barrier on HIV testing among young people.

Humanitarian emergencies in countries with a high HIV disease burden can cause considerable PMTCT antiretroviral treatment (ART) interruption. The risk of drug resistance emerging is increased, efficacy of treatment compromised and the effective scale-up of lifelong ART for pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV is impeded. Therefore, strategies to ensure the uninterrupted supply of antiretrovirals for PMTCT during crises are needed. This paper highlights lessons learned from PMTCT implementation in emergencies based on reported literature, key informant interviews, and recommendations made. The review focuses on delivering ART for PMTCT.

Monitoring of individuals on ART is important to ensure treatment efficacy and improved health outcomes. Updated WHO Consolidated ARV Guidelines will be available in December 2015 and include recommendations on routine monitoring and the diagnosis of treatment failure.