Press Release – Page 3

FREE webinars for HIV clinicians being hosted by PANCAP during the remainder of 2023

Dr. Keosha T. Bond
Assistant Medical Professor in the Department of Community Health and Social Medicine, at the CUNY School of Medicine.

Dr, Shanti Singh-Anthony
Knowledge Management Coordinator, PANCAP.

Friday, 15 September 2023, (PANCAP Coordinating Unit, CARICOM Secretariat): The Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), the mechanism that provides a structured and unified approach to the Caribbean’s response to the HIV epidemic, is hosting a series of free webinars throughout the remainder of the year. This is being done in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The first webinar titled: Promoting Sexual Health and Wellness in Primary Care, was held on Thursday, September 14, and was facilitated by Dr. Keosha T. Bond, an Assistant Medical Professor in the Department of Community Health and Social Medicine, at the CUNY School of Medicine.

This webinar focused on the key components of sexual health history and provided tips for facilitating patient-focused discussions on sexual health. It also discussed the promotion of sexual health and wellness among sexual and gender-diverse populations.

The primary objectives of this first session were to define barriers that may prevent providers and patients from discussing sexual health issues; to identify key components of a comprehensive sexual health history using pleasure-based approaches; and to discuss strategies for having conversations about sexual health and wellness to minimise sex-related stigma.

These webinars are open for HIV clinicians as well as other interested medical professionals. PANCAP’s Coordinating Unit is pleased to be able to offer these webinars as vehicles for knowledge sharing and exchange, as it seeks to continuously build capacity among HIV clinicians and collectively work towards an AIDS-free region.

“As we continue to shape the regional HIV response through enhanced knowledge generation, sharing, and learning among PANCAP members, it is hoped that this webinar series will certainly increase learning opportunities among HIV clinicians as they are exposed to conventionally accepted best practices throughout the Caribbean region and wider afield, with regard to the delivery of best quality evidenced-based treatment and care for People Living with HIV (PLHIV) within the CARICOM region,”

Dr. Shanti Singh Anthony, Knowledge Management Coordinator, PANCAP, underscored.

Below is a provisional schedule of the remaining FREE webinars to be hosted by PANCAP for the remainder of 2023 and early 2024:

Session	Presenter	Date	Time
Critical interventions to scale up HIV care and treatment and early linkage to care.	Dr. Omar Sued	Thursday 28 September 2023	11:00-12:00 GYT
Dolutegravir, the game-changer for paediatric HIV care.	Dr. David Griffith	Thursday 12 October 2023	11:00-12:00 GYT
Management of AHD and screening, diagnosis and treatment of Fungal Infections- Histoplasmosis and Cryptococcus	Dr. Jeffery Edwards	Thursday 26 October 2023	11:00-12:00 GYT
Update on the interpretation and management of HIV drug resistance	Dr. David Koren	Thursday 9 November 3023	11:00-12:00 GYT
Anal and Cervical cancer in PLHIV: an evolving landscape	Dr. Joel Palefsky	Thursday 23 November 2023	11:00-12:00 GYT
TB and HIV screening diagnosis and treatment	Dr. Omar Sued	Thursday 11 January 2024	11:00-12:00 GYT
Elimination of VH B and C: Applying EMTCT experiences to scale up HBV and HCV programming	Ms. Sandra Jones	Thursday 25 January 2024	11:00-12:00 GYT

The next scheduled webinar will be on Thursday, September 28, 2023, at 11:00 GYT and will be facilitated by Dr. Omar Sued, Advisor in HIV Treatment and Care for (PAHO). He will be presenting on the topic: Critical Interventions to Scale up HIV Care and Treatment and Early Linkage to Care.

To register for this FREE webinar please use the link:

https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/1197449960069235808

PANCAP invites medical professionals particularly HIV clinicians to take full advantage of the training opportunities being offered through this FREE webinar series so that they can broaden their knowledge and equip themselves with the requisite skills to professionally deliver high-quality care and treatment to PLHIV within the region.

Participants for this first webinar were from Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, St Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, Jamaica, Haiti, Belize, Turks and Caicos, British Virgin Islands, United States of America and the United Kingdom.

New Director to head PANCAP Coordinating Unit

Dr. Wendy Telgt-Emanuelson (PANCAP Director)

Friday, 8 September, 2023, (PANCAP Coordinating Unit, CARICOM Secretariat): The Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), the mechanism that provides a structured and unified approach to the Caribbean’s response to the HIV epidemic, is pleased to welcome its new Director, Dr. Wendy Telgt-Emanuelson, who was appointed with effect from September 1, 2023.

Dr. Telgt-Emanuelson will lead PANCAP’s dialogue with CARICOM governments, international donors and partners, and other stakeholders, in the continued implementation of a coordinated and structured regional approach for an AIDS-free Caribbean. She will lead the PANCAP Coordinating Unit to ensure the delivery of regional public goods that will support national programmes and advance PANCAP’s regional objectives.

Before joining PANCAP, Dr. Telgt-Emanuelson served as a National Consultant on Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health at the PAHO/WHO Office in Suriname. She has vast knowledge and experience in public health policy development and implementation and has led a number of national public health programmes in Suriname.

A Surinamese national, Dr. Telgt-Emanuelson holds a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Public Health from the Central University of Nicaragua, a Master of Science Degree in Public Health from Walden University, USA, and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Behavioural Science from Andrews University, USA.

Dr. Telgt-Emanuelson brings to PANCP a wealth of knowledge and experience in strategic health policy development and will certainly serve to advance the work of the Coordinating Unit in its programme planning and execution in the continued fight against HIV and AIDS in the Caribbean region.

PANCAP hosted a two-day training programme for HIV clinicians from across the Caribbean region

Photo Caption: Front row seated, extreme right, Dr. Shanti Singh-Anthony, Knowledge Management Coordinator, PANCAP, second from right, Ms. Sandra Jones, centre, Dr. Omar Sued, second from left Dr. Joel Palefsky, left Dr. David E. Koren, along with participants of the USAID-funded PANCAP training for regional HIV Clinicians addressing opportunistic infections in people living with HIV.

Tuesday, 5 September 2023, (PANCAP Coordinating Unit, CARICOM Secretariat): The Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), the mechanism that provides a structured and unified approach to the Caribbean’s response to the HIV epidemic, hosted a two-day regional training programme funded by USAID, for HIV clinicians, addressing opportunistic infections in people living with HIV, from August 24-25, 2023, in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

Presentations were made by several technical experts from PANCAP, the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) and other experts from within the field of medical academia. The overall objective of the training was to increase the capacity of HIV practitioners in the region to detect and manage common opportunistic infections that affect people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the Region.

To set the tone for the meeting, Dr. Shanti Singh-Anthony, Knowledge Management Coordinator, PANCAP, discussed the status of the Caribbean response, noting that there has been significant progress with a 15% reduction in new infections and a 53% reduction in AIDS-related deaths in the last ten years. Despite these achievements, there continue to be challenges that as a Region we must address to achieve our common goal of ending AIDS. Specifically, it is noted that more than 25% of PLHIV enter into treatment programmes with advanced HIV infection and opportunistic infections with implications for morbidity and mortality as well as for HIV transmission. The adequate management of opportunistic infections will improve the quality of care to PHLIV. World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines were used to update participants on the management of Tuberculosis, Histoplasmosis, Cryptococcal disease, Human Papilloma Virus and cancers.

The training underscored the impact of HIV on key populations in the Region and the role of stigma and discrimination that hinders access to treatment. To address this a session was focused on health care workers delivering competent healthcare. The session delved into the components of a sexual health history and provided tips for facilitating patient-focused discussions on sexual health and promoting sexual health and wellness among sexual and gender-diverse populations.

The importance of using a highly efficacious treatment regimen as recommended by WHO was emphasized. An update was provided on treatment for adults and children living with HIV with optimized first-line therapy using Dolutegavir. Belize shared their experience including successes and lessons learned in transitioning their cohort of children living with HIV to first-line therapy with dolutegavir.

PAHO presented an update on the initiatives around the elimination agenda focusing on the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, congenital syphilis and hepatitis B. Countries-specific initiatives were shared. Guyana described their success in treating persons with Hepatitis C virus, and Jamaica AIDS Support for Life discussed the impact of their Hepatitis B programme for key populations.

Pre and post-test questionnaires were administered to participants at the start and end of the training exercise respectively, to assess the knowledge gained. It was revealed that 100 percent of the participants in attendance were in agreement that new knowledge was gained. All the participants agreed that they would apply the knowledge gained and also agreed that they would share the knowledge gained from this training programme with their colleagues and peers.

Commenting on the success of this training exercise Dr. Shanti Singh–Anthony Knowledge Management Coordinator, PANCAP said, “This training programme forms part of PANCAP’s continuous capacity-building efforts aimed at enhancing the quality, effectiveness, efficiency, equity, and sustainability of all HIV clinical services and related non-clinical support services being offered to PLHIV within the CARICOM region. Moving forward, we intend to broaden the scope of the training to encompass a wider diversity of healthcare workers in order that they will be better equipped to deliver more sustained, efficient, and equitable health outcomes to PLHIV within the region.”

Participants in the workshop included HIV physicians from Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname who are providing care and treatment for persons with HIV.

Regional CSOs to benefit from PANCAP-JASL South-South Knowledge Exchange on HIV Prevention and Treatment Programmes

Thursday, 15 September 2022 (PANCAP Coordinating Unit, CARICOM Secretariat): The Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), the mechanism that provides a structured and unified approach to the Caribbean’s response to the HIV epidemic, will facilitate a five-day South-South Knowledge Exchange event in collaboration with the Jamaica AIDS Support for Life (JASL) in Kingston, Jamaica from 19 to 23 September 2022.

The weeklong activity will allow regional stakeholders to examine the planning, implementation, and evaluation of JASL’s Prevention, Treatment, Enabling Environment and Human Rights programmes. The initiative aims to strengthen the regional HIV response by identifying best practices from JASL’s model in HIV Management/Programming with special emphasis on Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and other specialised treatment and care services that cater to vulnerable populations, including men who have sex with men (MSM), female sex workers and transgender persons.

The South-South Exchange is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. It will include key civil society organisations (CSOs) that implement HIV programmes from seven (7) countries within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), including the Commonwealth of Dominica, Guyana, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Kandasi Walton-Levermore, Executive Director, JASL, is delighted about the initiative, “regional participants will be exposed to the lessons learnt and the factors contributing to the successful delivery of HIV prevention and treatment services for key populations (KPs) and People Living with and affected by HIV and AIDS.” She added, “JASL will share its customised approach in service delivery to achieving an enabling environment for improved access to HIV services for all.”

The exchange will also focus on the coordination and collaboration mechanisms between JASL, the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MoHW), other CSOs, the private sector and other partners in delivering comprehensive HIV services. In addition, participants will develop country-specific action plans to enhance collaboration among participants in the South-South initiative.

JASL’s Executive Director underscored that the South-South Knowledge Exchange would be a significant step toward building capacity in HIV programme implementation to achieve the 95-95-95 Targets for ending AIDS.

Global Fund Stakeholders to discuss Challenges affecting Expansion of HIV, TB and Malaria Responses at Regional Dialogue

Friday, 9 September 2022 (PANCAP Coordinating Unit, CARICOM Secretariat): The Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), the mechanism that provides a structured and unified approach to the Caribbean’s response to the HIV epidemic, will facilitate a “Joint Regional Dialogue among Key Stakeholders and Partners” of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) multi-country grant in Port-of-Spain, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, 13 – 15 September 2022.

The Dialogue is a result of a collaboration with the Global Fund, the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) platform and the consortium of Sub-Recipients consisting of the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC) and the Centro de Orientación e Investigación Nacional (COIN) of the multi-country grant.

Over eighty (80) participants are expected to attend, including Caribbean Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) members, who represent communities affected by the three (3) diseases, as well as key and vulnerable populations (Belize, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica and Suriname), OECS Regional Coordinating Mechanism (RCM) members, Caribbean networks of key populations participating in the multi-country grant, National AIDS Programme (NAP) Managers, Civil Society Organisation (CSO) representatives implementing grant activities, technical assistance providers/agencies, International Development Partners including the Global Fund, USAID/PEPFAR, PAHO and UNAIDS.

According to Dr. Shellon Bovell, Project Coordinator, Global Fund (GF), CARICOM Secretariat, the Dialogue will maximise learning, coordination and synergies among recipients of the multi-country grant.

She further explained that this would allow stakeholders to discuss priority issues, including the effective use of resources and added value for beneficiaries of the grant, while sustaining the gains in HIV programming.

Specifically, the Dialogue will seek to improve coordination and collaboration between the regional GF project, national GF grants, national programmes, civil society and communities in their responses to HIV, Tuberculosis (TB) and malaria through sharing experiences, strategies and best practices.

“We will also seek to identify challenges affecting the expansion of the response to HIV, TB and malaria in the Caribbean and to improve the understanding of the Global Fund processes by all stakeholders, including communities and beneficiary countries that will have a significant impact on our Region”, stated Dr. Bovell.

She further explained that national programmes and CSOs would share their experiences and lessons learned from involvement and engagement in Global Fund-related processes in the Caribbean.

The overarching objective is to foster more synergies among stakeholders of the multi-country grant to fulfil the vision of an AIDS-free Latin America and the Caribbean.

Contact:
Timothy Austin
Senior Project Officer, Communications
PANCAP Coordinating Unit
CARICOM Secretariat
Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana

EDITOR’S NOTES

The consortium of Sub-Recipients consisting of the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), the Caribbean Coalition of Vulnerable Communities (CVC) and the Centro de Orientación e Investigación Nacional (COIN), submitted a funding request to the Global Fund in August 2018 to provide sustainable prevention, treatment and care services for key populations in the Caribbean region. In response to this request, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) approved a budget of US$6,500,000 for implementing a three-year Project (1 October 2019 – 30 September 2022).

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the voices of communities and civil society in Global Fund processes, investing in a third phase of the Community Engagement Strategic Initiative (CE SI), former Community, Rights and Gender Strategic Initiative (CRG SI) for the period 2021-2023.

The primary objective of the CE SI is to strengthen the engagement of civil society and communities in the Global Fund and related national processes. Engagement of community and civil society actors at all stages in the grant life cycle is critical in designing, developing and implementing effective responses to the three diseases and systems strengthening, ensuring that Global Fund investments evolve as responsive to those most impacted.

The CE SI works through the following three components:

Technical Assistance (TA) to support communities and civil society groups to engage in national processes linked to Global Fund investments.
Long-term strengthening of HIV, TB and malaria organisations and networks and engagement funds for women and girls, and
Regional Civil Society Platforms for Communication and Coordination.

PANCAP South-South Learning Exchange to boost PrEP and HIV self-testing implementation in the Region

Tuesday, 21 June 2022 (PANCAP Coordinating Unit, CARICOM Secretariat): The Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), the mechanism that provides a structured and unified approach to the Caribbean’s response to the HIV epidemic, will facilitate a South-South knowledge exchange event in Georgetown, Guyana from 27-29 June 2022 in collaboration with Ministry of Health-Guyana and the National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS). The knowledge exchange is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and will focus on Guyana’s experience implementing Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and HIV self-testing (HIVST).

The countries participating in the learning exchange event are Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Jamaica and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Eight (8) persons from the four (4) countries will participate, including National AIDS Programme (NAP) Managers and Clinical Care Coordinators, HIV clinicians and civil society organisation (CSO) representatives who work closely with the national programme in the implementation of PrEP, HIVST and other aspects of the HIV response.

Participants will interact with representatives of the Ministry of Health, clinical, CSO representatives and beneficiaries of the Guyana HIV programme.

According to Dr Shanti Singh-Anthony, Coordinator, Knowledge Management, PANCAP, “participants will experience firsthand how the Ministry of Health, National AIDS Programme has coordinated and collaborated with CSOs, the private sector, and other stakeholders in delivering comprehensive HIV services in the community and to key populations (KPs), including implementing a PrEP programme and HIVST.

She also explained that site visits would be conducted to public, private and community clinics, where participants would have the opportunity to interact with clinic staff. “This will allow participants to understand how the PrEP service delivery and HIVST are organised and delivered, the number and skill set of the clinical team, and other resources available for supporting service delivery,” stated Dr Singh-Anthony.

In addition, participants will interact with the beneficiaries of the clinics, particularly KPs. There will also be opportunities for participants to accompany the NAP and CSO teams to community outreaches to identify and recruit KPs for HIV prevention, HIVST and PrEP.

Why Guyana?

Dr Singh-Anthony explained that Guyana was selected because of the progress made by the NAPS in PrEP and HIVST implementation and the wealth of experience to be shared with the Region. Guyana is one of the first countries in the Region to have achieved the First 90. At the end of 2020, 94% of People Living with HIV knew their HIV status. Guyana has also made significant progress in delivering PrEP to KPs; the NAPS has developed PrEP guidelines, trained clinicians, and developed systems. PrEP is available at fifteen (15) public, private and CSO locations.

HIVST is in the pilot phase, and Guyana’s testing algorithm was validated. HIVST kits can be accessed from four (4) public, private and CSO locations. In addition, the NAPS has plans to scale up and make more sites accessible.

The South-South knowledge exchange is part of PANCAP’s overarching strategy to enhance the skills of National AIDS programme technical teams and CSO representatives in implementing PrEP and HIVST.

– ENDS –

Contact:

Timothy Austin

Senior Project Officer, Communications

PANCAP Coordinating Unit

CARICOM Secretariat

Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana

Email: taustin.consultant@caricom.org

Tel: (592) 222-0001-75, Ext. 3409 | Visit www.PANCAP.org

EDITOR’S NOTES

What is Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)?

Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is the use of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs by persons without HIV infection to prevent the acquisition of HIV. It can be taken daily or on-demand, also known as event-driven PrEP.

What is HIV self-testing?

HIV self-testing allows people to take an HIV test and get their results in their home or other private location using an HIV self-testing kit. It offers a way to make testing discreet, comfortable, and empowering.

HELPFUL LINKS:

Global AIDS Strategy 2021–2026, End Inequalities, End AIDS

https://pancap.org/pancap-documents/global-aids-strategy-2021-2026-end-inequalities-end-aids/

Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework on HIV and AIDS (CRSF) 2019-2025

https://pancap.org/pancap-documents/caribbean-regional-strategic-framework-2019-2025/

WHAT IS PANCAP?

PANCAP is a Caribbean regional partnership of governments, regional civil society organisations, regional institutions and organisations, bilateral and multilateral agencies and contributing donor partners which was established on 14 February 2001. PANCAP provides a structured and unified approach to the Caribbean’s response to the HIV epidemic, coordinates the response through the Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework on HIV and AIDS to maximise efficient use of resources and increase impact, mobilises resources and build capacity of partners.

What are the Global AIDS Strategy 2021–2026 targets and commitments?

If targets and commitments in the strategy are achieved:

The number of people who newly acquire HIV will decrease from 1.7 million in 2019 to less than 370 000 by 2025
The number of people dying from AIDS-related illnesses will decrease from 690 000 in 2019 to less than 250 000 in 2025.
The goal of eliminating new HIV infections among children will see the number of new HIV infections drop from 150 000 in 2019 to less than 22 000 in 2025.

PANCAP supports over 100 Regional Programme Planners and Health Care Service Providers with Clinical Management of HIV course

Wednesday, 27 April 2022 (PANCAP Coordinating Unit, CARICOM Secretariat): The Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), the mechanism that provides a structured and unified approach to the Caribbean’s response to the HIV epidemic, will provide over one hundred (100) programme planners and health care service providers from the Region with the opportunity to complete programmes on Clinical Management of HIV and Leadership and Management in Public Health with the Global Health E-Learning Program (eDGH), University of Washington.

Supported by the PANCAP-USAID Project via USAID Jamaica, the capacity building initiative commenced in 2021 with eighteen (18) clinical and public health practitioners completing the Clinical Management of HIV course.

The second cohort consists of sixty (60) participants from Belize, forty-five (45) from the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC) and thirty-four (34) from Guyana.

Orientation sessions held in April focused on guidance on how to utilise the virtual platform and encouraging participants to use the knowledge gained to boost the Region’s HIV response. Mr Ivan Cruickskank, Executive Director, CVC, stated that he was pleased to collaborate with PANCAP. He explained that CVC coordinated access to the Leadership and Management of Public Health course for participants from eight (8) countries, including Belize, Dominica, Jamaica, Martinique, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Lucia, and Suriname. In addition, the Executive Director emphasised the importance of building the capacity of all players in the HIV response and viewing all stakeholders as critical contributors to ending AIDS.

Mr Enrique Romero, Executive Director, National AIDS Commission (NAC) Secretariat, Belize, underscored the importance of learning and knowledge building to Belize’s HIV National Strategic Plan (NSP). Dr Tariq Jagnarine, Programme Manager, National AIDS Programme Secretariat, Ministry of Health, Guyana, urged participants to share the knowledge gained with other Public Health stakeholders as Guyana prepares to implement several significant projects, including an HIV self-testing (HIVST) Pilot.

Dr Rhonda Moore expressed her gratitude to PANCAP and the National AIDS Programme (Guyana) for the opportunity to enhance her skills in HIV management. She stated that the course was happening at an ideal time as programme implementers are challenged with returning the focus to HIV and other Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) while the Region recovers from COVID-19.

Providing critical stakeholders in the HIV response with access to the courses forms part of PANCAP’s overarching strategy to protect and maintain the gains made in the HIV response.

– ENDS –

Contact:

Timothy Austin

Senior Project Officer, Communications

PANCAP Coordinating Unit

CARICOM Secretariat

Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana

Email: taustin.consultant@caricom.org

Tel: (592) 222-0001-75, Ext. 3409 | Visit www.PANCAP.org

Helpful links:

Global AIDS Strategy 2021–2026, End Inequalities, End AIDS

https://pancap.org/pancap-documents/global-aids-strategy-2021-2026-end-inequalities-end-aids/

Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework on HIV and AIDS (CRSF) 2019-2025

https://pancap.org/pancap-documents/caribbean-regional-strategic-framework-2019-2025/

WHAT IS PANCAP?

EDITOR’S NOTES

What are the Global AIDS Strategy 2021–2026 targets and commitments?

If targets and commitments in the strategy are achieved:

The number of people who newly acquire HIV will decrease from 1.7 million in 2019 to less than 370 000 by 2025
The number of people dying from AIDS-related illnesses will decrease from 690 000 in 2019 to less than 250 000 in 2025.

The goal of eliminating new HIV infections among children will see the number of new HIV infections drop from 150 000 in 2019 to less than 22 000 in 2025.

PANCAP Virtual Town Hall to address concerns about COVID-19 vaccines for children

Wednesday, 17 November 2021 (PANCAP Coordinating Unit, CARICOM Secretariat): The Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), the mechanism that provides a structured and unified approach to the Caribbean’s response to the HIV epidemic, will host a virtual town hall to address concerns from regional stakeholders about COVID-19 vaccination for children in the 5-11 age group on Thursday 25 November at 7:00 PM GYT.

Questions from stakeholders will be addressed by a team of regional public health experts and paediatricians who have been involved in COVID-19 vaccine trials for children and are managing COVID-19 disease in children. The panel will consist of Dr Amar Singh, Pediatric ER Fellow, Dr Mallika Mootoo, Pediatrician, HIV Specialist, Dr Narendra Singh, Associate Professor Pediatrics, McMaster University, Dr Rajesh Bisnauth, Attending Pediatrician, Instructor of Pediatrics, Healthcare Informatics, and Dr Tonia Jerrick, Resident Physician, Joseph M, Sanzari Children’s Hospital.

The discussion will be moderated by Dr Rosmond Adams, Director, PANCAP.

According to Dr Shanti Singh-Anthony, Coordinator, Knowledge Management, PANCAP, as more territories within our Region commence vaccination for children in the 5-11 age group, it is critical to provide answers to questions from stakeholders, including parents who may have concerns about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines for children.

Dr Singh-Anthony explained that while the benefits of vaccinating children against COVID-19 have been documented, the knowledge may not be reaching everyone. “It is essential that we highlight the benefits of vaccinating children against COVID-19. These include the fact that vaccines help prevent children from getting COVID-19 and prevent or reduce the spread of COVID-19 within communities,” stated Dr Singh-Anthony. She also underscored that the more people vaccinated, the faster countries will get to herd immunity.

Further, Dr Singh-Anthony highlighted that vaccinating children against COVID-19 can help restore more normal life. “Getting vaccinated will also help keep children in school and participating in sports and other recreational activities that they enjoy,” stated Dr Singh-Anthony. “Vaccinated children exposed to COVID-19 are less likely to get infected, and so are more likely to be able to continue participating with fewer disruptions to school attendance and other activities.”

She noted that the target audiences for the virtual town hall included parents of children in the 5-11 age group, policymakers, physicians and public health practitioners, community leaders, civil society organisation representatives, faith leaders and youth.

The town hall forms part of PANCAP’s overarching Knowledge Management strategy to provide information and data on COVID-19 and HIV-related topics to foster an environment where critical stakeholders can make informed decisions.

– ENDS –

Contact:

Timothy Austin

Senior Project Officer, Communications

PANCAP Coordinating Unit

CARICOM Secretariat

Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana

Email: taustin.consultant@caricom.org

Tel: (592) 222-0001-75, Ext. 3409 | Visit www.PANCAP.org

Helpful links:

Virtual Town Hall Registration link

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIlf-CqqDgrG9Qw_q1ykNZ2T82ySu_8PSum?fbclid=IwAR0N8CqwmMxMRZmA1CavNinMcpTzkntybJKHVGZwgmO9eqrE_a5-QxNWRKU

WHAT IS PANCAP?

EDITOR’S NOTES

The Town Hall will be held on Thursday 25 November 2021, during the following times:

Belmopan, Belize 5:00 PM CST
Eastern Time, ET 6:00 PM EST
Georgetown, Guyana 7:00 PM GYT
Kingston, Jamaica 6:00 PM EST
Port-au-Prince, Haiti 6:00 PM EST
Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago 7:00 PM AST
Suriname Time, SRT 8:00 PM SRT

Region’s Public Health boosted by PANCAP Capacity-Building Initiative

Thursday, 7 October 2021 (PANCAP Coordinating Unit, CARICOM Secretariat): The Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), the mechanism that provides a structured and unified approach to the Caribbean’s response to the HIV epidemic, congratulates the eighteen (18) clinical and public health practitioners who completed the three-month course on the Clinical Management of HIV with the Global Health E-Learning Program (eDGH), University of Washington.

The PANCAP-USAID Project supported the capacity building initiative via USAID Jamaica.

A certificate award ceremony was held on Friday, 1 October, at the Roraima Duke Lodge in Georgetown.

The CARICOM Secretariat, PANCAP and USAID were praised by Hon. Dr Frank Anthony, Minister of Health, Guyana, during his feature address. He underscored the importance of using the PANCAP initiative as an example of continuing programme implementation to end AIDS despite the disruptions caused by COVID-19.

Dr Anthony expressed gratitude to the U.S. Government and USAID for providing support for the initiative and highlighted the value of the course in improving the skills of the Public Health Practitioners and the overall enhancement the achievement will deliver to the Region’s public health.

The Minister of Health further praised the content of the course and stated that the inclusion of modules on Hepatitis B and C aligned with the Ministry of Health’s upcoming capacity building on the treatment of Hepatitis C.

Importantly, Dr Anthony highlighted that vaccination numbers for eligible People Living with HIV (PLHIV) were low. He attributed this to misinformation within the PLHIV community regarding the safety of the vaccines. He challenged the 18 certificate recipients to encourage PLHIV to get vaccinated by presenting facts on the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines.

Dr Douglas Slater, Assistant Secretary-General, Human and Social Development, CARICOM Secretariat, delivered congratulations on behalf of Dr Carla Barnett, Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). He echoed the sentiments of Dr Anthony and praised the initiative for prioritising knowledge sharing and learning among Public Health Practitioners despite the challenges of COVID-19.

“HIV and COVID-19 have taught us many lessons; pivotal to combating both is providing consistent opportunities for learning and capacity building for our front-line workers, doctors, nurses, and other public health workers”, stated Dr Slater, “PANCAP, with the support of the U.S. Government, USAID and through collaboration with the Ministry of Health, has taken a positive step towards this”.

“I was pleased that the course content contained modules critical for new thinking and innovative approaches for managing and treating HIV in the Region. These included topics focused on opportunistic infections, “Management of Sexually Transmitted Infections in HIV-infected Patients”, “HIV Vertical Transmission and Pregnancy”, “Post-exposure Prophylaxis for HIV and Preventive Care”, and “Pediatric HIV”, stated Dr Slater, “These areas are critical to creating a practical roadmap for ending AIDS in our Region”.

Dr Slater concluded by commending the PANCAP Knowledge Management hub for identifying and leveraging the Global Health E-Learning Program at the University of Washington. He also encouraged PANCAP to share the success story with the Region as many Public Health institutions continue to search for strategies and approaches for virtual learning. “Let this be a shining beacon of the progress the Region can achieve when we strategically collaborate and take full advantage of the fantastic opportunities of the virtual world”, stated Dr Slater.

Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch, United States Ambassador to the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, stated that the USAID Jamaica Office was proud to sponsor the initiative and praised the collaboration between USAID, CARICOM, and the Ministry of Health. She highlighted the importance of knowledge sharing and capacity building to the development of Guyana’s health sector. She emphasised that the U.S. Government was pleased to be part of the process.

The Ambassador stated that the commitment by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to combat HIV is evidenced by the more than 185 Million United States Dollars provided in funding to Guyana since 2004. She also highlighted that the partnership has resulted in significant strides in HIV prevention, treatment and care in Guyana. The Ambassador was pleased to share that the PEPFAR programme received a two-year extension through the hard work of USAID and the Ministry of Health to help Guyana further its accomplishments in ending AIDS.

Ambassador Lynch concluded by congratulating the certificate recipients for having the vision of ending AIDS and stated that the U. S. Government remains committed to working with the Ministry of Health, CARICOM and the private sector to help this become a reality in Guyana.

Dr Rosmond Adams, Director, PANCAP, reiterated PANCAP’s commitment to building the capacity of Public Health Practitioners working in HIV prevention, treatment and care. He stated that the initiative would be the first of many partnering with international universities to enhance the capacities of clinical and public health workers.

Additional highlights included testimonials from three (3) doctors who completed the course, including Dr Tariq Jagnarine, Programme Manager, National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS), Ministry of Health, Dr Mallika Mootoo, Paediatrician, Saint Joseph Mercy Hospital and Dr Abiola Jacobs, Director, National Care and Treatment Center. They reflected on the value of the course to their work implementation.

Certificate recipients included medical practitioners, programme managers, public health practitioners, medex and nurses from the Ministry of Health, Guyana, Society against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD), St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Davis Memorial Hospital and CARICOM-PANCAP.

The capacity building initiative formed part of PANCAP’s overarching strategy to protect and maintain the gains made in the HIV response as the Region continues to navigate COVID-19.

– ENDS –

Contact:

Timothy Austin

Senior Project Officer, Communications

PANCAP Coordinating Unit

CARICOM Secretariat

Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana

Email: taustin.consultant@caricom.org

Tel: (592) 222-0001-75, Ext. 3409 | Visit www.PANCAP.org

Helpful links:

Image Gallery:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZXpG7ypmbZbALUd59

Global AIDS Strategy 2021–2026, End Inequalities, End AIDS

https://pancap.org/pancap-documents/global-aids-strategy-2021-2026-end-inequalities-end-aids/

Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework on HIV and AIDS (CRSF) 2019-2025

https://pancap.org/pancap-documents/caribbean-regional-strategic-framework-2019-2025/

WHAT IS PANCAP?

EDITOR’S NOTES

What are the Global AIDS Strategy 2021–2026 targets and commitments?

If targets and commitments in the strategy are achieved:

The number of people who newly acquire HIV will decrease from 1.7 million in 2019 to less than 370 000 by 2025
The number of people dying from AIDS-related illnesses will decrease from 690 000 in 2019 to less than 250 000 in 2025.

The goal of eliminating new HIV infections among children will see the number of new HIV infections drop from 150 000 in 2019 to less than 22 000 in 2025.

Image Gallery – Clinical Management of HIV – Certificate Award Ceremony

Caribbean stakeholders call for focus on key populations and community-led approaches to HIV and COVID-19

Caribbean partners from governments, civil society and the development community met on 7 June to discuss regional priorities for the 2021 United Nations High-Level Meeting on AIDS and its resulting political declaration. The virtual Caribbean Caucus was hosted by the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) and moderated by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Assistant Secretary-General, Dr Douglas Slater.

The PANCAP Director, Dr Rosmond Adams, noted that the Caribbean had made significant progress in key aspects of the HIV response. Eight countries and territories have been validated by the World Health Organization for eliminating vertical HIV and syphilis transmission. And between 2010 and 2020, AIDS-related deaths in the region fell by half (51%).

But to get on track to end AIDS by 2030, he said Caribbean countries must step up the pace around prevention, testing, treatment, care and ending stigma and discrimination. By 2020, 82% of people living with HIV in the region were diagnosed. Two thirds (67%) of all people living with HIV were on treatment, and 59% were virally suppressed.

While new HIV infections have fallen by 28% since 2010, the rate of decline is too slow. Overall, members of key population communities and their partners accounted for 60% of new HIV infections in 2020. Around one-third of new HIV infections were among young people aged 15–24 years.

Speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Regional Network of People Living with HIV (CRN+), Ms Diana Weekes noted that key structural barriers continue to block access to HIV prevention, treatment and care services. These include “stigma and discrimination … lack of privacy, breach of confidentiality and limited redress” when people’s rights have been violated. She noted that no country in the region had adopted the CARICOM Model Anti-discrimination legislation, which was developed almost a decade ago. CRN+ called for greater emphasis on policy and legislative changes and community-led responses to address these structural barriers.

Mr Ivan Cruickshank, the Executive Director of the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC), pointed to regional data that show that HIV disproportionately affects key populations, including gay men and other men who have sex with men, transgender people, sex workers and people who use drugs.

“According to the latest UNAIDS report, nations with progressive laws and policies, as well as robust and inclusive health systems, have had the best HIV outcomes. Therefore, we must create inclusive societies in which people are confident in their ability to seek medical treatment and exercise their social and economic rights. We must go beyond declarations to remove laws that continue to criminalize communities and limit young people’s access to sexual and reproductive health and rights,” Mr Cruickshank said.

The Guyana Health Minister and Caribbean representative on the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board, Dr Frank Anthony, reaffirmed the region’s commitment to the HIV response, saying that “governments in the region stand ready to do their part in ending AIDS by 2030.”

He pointed to longstanding challenges in the region, such as “removing the legal obstacles that foster discriminatory practices” and “prevention sustainability.” But he also emphasized the new threat posed by COVID-19, noting that “finite financial resources had to be reprogrammed to meet these urgent demands.” He called for increased vaccine equity and a review of plans to transition countries in the region away from international HIV funding.

“We must use the platform available to us at this United Nations High-level meeting to ensure that we highlight our vulnerabilities to the HIV epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

During discussions, civil society participants also emphasized the profound negative impact of COVID-19 containment measures on lives and livelihoods. They said there was an additional need for solutions to provide nutrition, mental health and financial support to People Living with HIV and members of key population communities.

The Director of the UNAIDS New York Liaison Office, Mr César Núñez, noted that in response to both HIV and COVID-19, the role of communities is clear.

“The response must include a key role for civil society at the table when frameworks are being put together and implemented,” he said.

Mr Núñez ended by calling for CARICOM’s support in securing an ambitious, action-oriented and laser-focused political declaration.