Global Policy, Local Disconnects: A Look into the Implementation of the 2013 HIV Treatment Guidelines

Published in 2014, The Global Policy, Local Disconnects: A Look Into the Implementation of the 2013 HIV Treatment Guidelines report is a global initiative undertaken by The International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC) and the AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA) that investigates what the reality was on the ground for people living with HIV. Utilizing ITPC’s nine Regional Networks and ARASA partners in Southern Africa, a cross-section of people living with HIV, service providers and other stakeholders were surveyed across the globe for their experiences, opinions and insights. The report provides a reality check to talk of ending AIDS and discusses the barriers at the community level to scaling up treatment.

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Promoting the Health of Men Who Have Sex with Men Worldwide: a Training Curriculum for Providers

The MSMGF and Johns Hopkins University in 2014 launched a new international training curriculum designed to give healthcare providers the cultural competency and clinical skills necessary to meet the health needs of gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM). Following the announcement of the World Health Organization’s new Consolidated Guidelines for Key Populations, the curriculum is also intended to serve as a critical vehicle to ensure the reach of WHO’s efforts at the country level.

Consisting of nine modules and covering a wide range of clinically relevant topics, the curriculum’s content was shaped and guided by a group of 15 technical experts, scientists, physicians, psychologists, program implementers and community members from around the world. The introductory modules are designed to help providers gain a broad understanding of the contexts in which MSM navigate their healthcare needs. Subsequent modules offer specific provider-led strategies for increasing access to and quality of services, such as creating an enabling clinical environment, taking an appropriate sexual history, and managing HIV and other STIs among MSM effectively.

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Consolidated Guidelines on HIV Prevention, Diagnosis, Treatment and Care for Key Populations

In these 2014 consolidated guidelines on HIV prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care for key populations, the World Health Organization (WHO) brings together all existing guidance relevant to five key populations – men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs, people in prisons and other closed settings, sex workers, and transgender people – and updates selected guidance and recommendations. These guidelines aim to: provide a comprehensive package of evidence-based HIV-related recommendations for all key populations; increase awareness of the needs of and issues important to key populations; improve access, coverage and uptake of effective and acceptable services; and catalyze greater national and global commitment to adequate funding and services.

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Guidance on Prevention of Viral Hepatitis B & C among People Who Inject Drugs

This guidance on prevention of viral hepatitis B and C among people who inject drugs is the first step in the provision of comprehensive guidance on viral hepatitis surveillance, prevention, and treatment by the World Health Organization. These recommendations are based on systematic reviews of scientific evidence, community values, and preferences and implementation issues.

The focus of this guidance is on low- and middle-income countries, but it applies equally to high-income settings. The WHO, UNODC, UNAIDS technical guide for countries to set targets for universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care for injecting drug users presents a comprehensive package of interventions for HIV prevention, treatment and care for people who inject drugs. This document has helped to achieve global consensus with high-level political bodies, the United Nations, donor agencies and civil society organizations on adopting a public health response that best addresses HIV in countries facing epidemics of injecting drug use. The nine interventions of this package (see box) are also relevant to the prevention of viral hepatitis, in particular the first two, needle and syringe programmes and opioid substitution therapy.

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Technical Guidance on Combination HIV Prevention

This guidance document published in 2011 by PEPFAR is a response to the urgent need to strengthen and expand HIV prevention for MSM and their partners and to improve MSM’s ability to access HIV care and treatment. It furthers PEPFAR’s renewed emphasis on matching interventions and investments with epidemiological trends and needs in order to improve impact. This guidance also builds upon and strengthens international efforts to encourage comprehensive HIV prevention programs for MSM in low- and middle-income countries.

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Engaging with Men Who Have Sex with Men in the Clinical Setting

This 2011 primer published by the MSMGF is intended to serve as a guide on information related to men who have sex with men (MSM) for physicians, nurses, and other health care providers delivering HIV and primary care services in diverse clinical settings. Longstanding evidence indicates that MSM experience significant barriers to quality health care due to widespread stigma against homosexuality in mainstream society and within health systems. Social discrimination against MSM, or homophobia,a has also been described as a key driver of poor health outcomes in this population across diverse settings. In nearly every country around the world, MSM are disproportionately burdened with HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) when compared to the general adult population. Higher rates of depression, anxiety, smoking, alcohol abuse, substance use, and suicide have been reported among MSM as a result of chronic stress and disconnection from a range of social services and support mechanisms.

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Technical Bulletin Compendium: HIV Prevention and Treatment Strategies for MSM

Intended as a primer for MSM advocates and service providers, this series covers key interventions and frameworks that have been central to the current global dialogues on HIV prevention, treatment and care. Topics were identified and prioritized based on results of the MSMGF’s 2010 Global Men’s Health and Rights study (GMHR), which surveyed more than 5,000 MSM worldwide regarding access to and knowledge of the current spectrum of HIV prevention strategies. Each bulletin was developed utilizing a balanced approach, highlighting both the benefits and challenges of a given intervention based on existing evidence.

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Consultation of Sex Workers (PICO Questions) and Report

The World Health Organization (WHO) is developing guidelines for evidence-based interventions for the prevention and treatment of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in low- and middle-income countries. As a global partner to the WHO in this process, the Global Network of Sex Work Projects oversaw a civil society consultation of sex workers commissioned by the WHO to gather feedback on proposed guidelines. This report contains the findings from that consultation and was submitted to the WHO.

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