Archives: Media Releases

Guyanese appointed to serve as the Board Member for the Latin America and the Caribbean Constituency of the Global Fund Board

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat is pleased to inform that during the Forty-Fifth Meeting of the Council of Human and Social Development (COHSOD) on Health, held recently in Washington D.C., Mr. Dereck Springer, a citizen of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, was appointed to serve as the Board Member for the Latin America and the Caribbean Constituency of the Global Fund Board for the period 1 November 2023 to 31 October 2025.

Mr. Dereck Springer is an Independent Consultant and a former Director of the PANCAP Coordinating Unit (PCU), CARICOM Secretariat. He is a public health and behavioral specialist with 30 years of experience in the health sector, primarily in HIV, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and Mental Health. Mr. Springer began his public health career as a Volunteer Counsellor at the Genito-Urinary Medicine Clinic, Guyana. His extensive experience in policy, program management and implementation at the national and regional levels has been facilitated by his work with civil society, government, regional and international development partners.

He served as Senior Advisor for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Global AIDS Program Guyana, UNAIDS’ Focal Point Guyana and National Coordinator of Voluntary Counselling and Testing for the Ministry of Health. He is a former Chair of the Implementer Group of the Global Fund Board and Communications and Governance Focal Points for the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) delegation to the Global Fund Board and was designated Board Member for the Forty-ninth Meeting of the Global Fund Board held in Hanoi, Vietnam in May 2023.

Mr. Springer provided transformational leadership for institutionalizing the Implementer Group of the Global Fund Board, brokered a harmonious relationship with the Donor Group and the Global Fund Secretariat, and successfully advocated for the Inspector General’s review and recommendation for increased funding for Implementer constituencies and provision of annual funding to support the Implementer Leadership and their engagement with the Board, committees, and constituencies while successfully advocating for continued Global Fund resources for Latin America and the Caribbean.

PANCAP remembers Dr Michael Perry Gomez, former Director of the National HIV Programme and Minister of Health of the Bahamas

 

Dr Gomez was known universally as the patron saint of the National HIV response in the Bahamas. A pioneer in its most essential sense, he was the founder and sole Director of the National HIV Programme of the Bahamas and, as a complementary initiative, also founded the AIDS Clinical Services Programme at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Nassau.

Dr Gomez earned a medical degree from the University of the West Indies and immediately thereafter proceeded to Wayne State University where he specialized in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases. This preparation became his passport to a lifetime of selfless and unsurpassed public health service.

He published widely with his most celebrated work being his contribution to “Fourth Generation Enzyme linked to Immuno-Absorbent Assay for the Simultaneous Detection of HIV Antigen and Antibody”.

Fiercely committed to the cause of the Caribbean, Dr. Perry Gomez never plied his trade elsewhere. For more than three decades, he placed his renowned skills as an internist and infectious disease specialist at the complete disposal of the people of the Bahamas and, indeed, the wider Caribbean.

Under his calm but strong and compelling leadership, HIV transmission rates in the Bahamas declined by more than 30%, HIV transmission from mother-to-child had all but disappeared, 72% of all persons with advanced HIV received requisite treatment, while 100% of all persons with HIV and TB co-infection received full treatment for both conditions.

A true Caribbean patriot, Dr. Gomez lent his vast professional and leadership skills across the Caribbean. He was the Standing Chair of the Executive Council of the Caribbean HIV and AIDS Regional Training Initiative; served as Co-Chair of the regional initiative for the Elimination of Vertical Transmission of HIV and Syphilis and member of the Executive Board of the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP).

For good measure, Dr. Gomez also served on various technical advisory bodies of PAHO/ WHO, UNAIDS and the Clinton Foundation.

Dr. Gomez was the recipient of several prestigious awards.
• In 1998, he received the “Merit of Award of the Government of the Bahamas” for contribution to Medicine;
• In 2003, he was admitted to the Most Excellent of the Order of the British Empire;
• In 2005, he was named “Civil Society Person of the Year of the Bahamas”;
• Again in 2005, he was recognized as “The Bahamas Journal Person of the Year”; and
• In 2010, received the coveted “Sir Linden Pindling Award for Excellence”.

As the Bahamas Journal summed it up in its tribute of 2005, “the good doctor has been the epitome of what world class is all about and we have a responsibility to reward excellence”.

Because of his remarkable accomplishments, together with a lifetime of distinguished service to public health Dr. Michael Perry Gomez was conferred with the PANCAP Award for Excellence, in 2010.

To the family of the late Dr Michael Perry Gomez, we extend our deepest condolences.

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:

 

SessionPresenterDateTime
Critical interventions to scale up HIV care and treatment and early linkage to care.Dr. Omar SuedThursday 28 September 202311:00-12:00 GYT
Dolutegravir, the game-changer for paediatric HIV care.Dr. David GriffithThursday 12 October 202311:00-12:00 GYT
Management of AHD and screening, diagnosis and treatment of Fungal Infections- Histoplasmosis and CryptococcusDr. Jeffery EdwardsThursday 26 October 202311:00-12:00 GYT
Update on the interpretation and management of HIV drug resistanceDr. David KorenThursday 9 November 302311:00-12:00 GYT
Anal and Cervical cancer in PLHIV: an evolving landscapeDr. Joel PalefskyThursday 23 November 202311:00-12:00 GYT
TB and HIV screening diagnosis and treatmentDr. Omar SuedThursday 11 January 202411:00-12:00 GYT
Elimination of VH B and C: Applying EMTCT experiences to scale up HBV and HCV programmingMs. Sandra JonesThursday 25 January 202411:00-12:00 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.

 

ENDS

 

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 established on 14 February 2001.  PANCAP provides a structured and unified approach to the Caribbean’s response to the HIV epidemic, and coordinates the response through the Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework on HIV and AIDS to maximise efficient use of resources and increase impact, mobilise resources and build the 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.

 

What are the 95-95-95 Targets for ending AIDS?

  • 95% of People Living with HIV know their HIV status;
  • 95% of people who know their status on treatment; and
  • 95% of people on treatment with suppressed viral loads.

 

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/

 

Contact Us:

PANCAP Coordinating Unit (PCU)
CARICOM Secretariat
13-15 Area F Plantation, Turkeyen,
Greater Georgetown, Guyana

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.

ENDS

 

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 established on 14 February 2001.  PANCAP provides a structured and unified approach to the Caribbean’s response to the HIV epidemic and coordinates the response through the Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework on HIV and AIDS to maximise the efficient use of resources and increase impact, mobilise resources and build the 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.

 

What are the 95-95-95 Targets for ending AIDS?

  • 95% of People Living with HIV know their HIV status;
  • 95% of people who know their status on treatment; and
  • 95% of people on treatment with suppressed viral loads.

 

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/

Contact Us:

PANCAP Coordinating Unit (PCU)
CARICOM Secretariat
13-15 Area F Plantation, Turkeyen,
Greater Georgetown, Guyana

TEL: (592) 222-0001 – 06 ext. 3415

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.

 

ENDS

 

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.

 

What are the 95-95-95 Targets for ending AIDS?

  • 95% of People Living with HIV know their HIV status;
  • 95% of people who know their status on treatment; and
  • 95% of people on treatment with suppressed viral loads.

 

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/

 

Contact Us:

PANCAP Coordinating Unit (PCU)
CARICOM Secretariat
13-15 Area F Plantation, Turkeyen,
Greater Georgetown, Guyana

TEL: (592) 222-0001 – 06 ext. 3415

 

 

PANCAP remembers Dr Michel de Groulard, former UNAIDS Country Director

PANCAP joins the Region in mourning the loss of HIV and public health adviser to the Caribbean, Dr. Michel de Groulard. Michel had more than 30 years of experience in International Public Health, with around 25 years dedicated to HIV.

Michel was a French citizen who made the Caribbean his home. He lived in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago for several years until his passing.

A medical doctor by training, Michel worked on several public health projects for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and provided healthcare to remote desert villages in Mauritania and Cameroon. He also served as a Public Health Officer in the Grenada Health Ministry and an HIV Project Manager at the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre.

Michel joined UNAIDS in 2001 as a Senior Partnerships Adviser. He went on to serve the Caribbean region in several positions with UNAIDS, including Senior Program Adviser to the region for more than seven years. Last month, he concluded a two-year appointment as interim Country Director for the Guyana/Suriname office which he opened in Georgetown in 2005.

In his HIV work over the years, he continuously emphasised the role of civil society at all levels of the response to address risk and vulnerability, gender issues and barriers to access services. Michel provided technical support for creating the Caribbean Network of People living with HIV in 1996 and establishing the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition in 2005. For several years he was Vice Chair of Community Actions Resource, Trinidad and Tobago’s oldest organization serving people living with HIV.

Above all Michel was a champion for the marginalized and excluded, especially people living with HIV and key populations. He ensured that communities’ concerns and voices were put at the centre of planning and advocacy. He is remembered by civil society for championing their critical importance in shaping public policy and delivering services.

Michel never truly retired. Always energetic and committed, he took on several challenges following his initial departure from UNAIDS in 2013. This included the role of Regional Manager for the USAID/PEPFAR LINKAGES programme for the Eastern and Southern Caribbean. He also volunteered with the Alliance Française in Port-of-Spain.

His interests in epidemiology and public health were enduring. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, he compiled and disseminated daily country and regional graphs tracking new infections and deaths in the Caribbean. His nightly WhatsApp messages to friends and colleagues continued until the night before his passing.

We extend our deepest condolences to his family, colleagues and friends.  The Region has lost a dedicated champion for vulnerable populations.

EQUALIZE – World AIDS Day 2022

The inequalities perpetuating the AIDS pandemic are not inevitable; we can tackle them. This World AIDS Day, 1 December, UNAIDS urges each of us to address the inequalities holding back progress in ending AIDS.

The “Equalize” slogan is a call to action. It prompts all of us to work for the proven practical actions needed to address inequalities and help end AIDS. These include:

  • Increase availability, quality and suitability of services for HIV treatment, testing and prevention so that everyone is well-served.
  • Reform laws, policies and practices to tackle the stigma and exclusion faced by people living with HIV and by key and marginalised populations so that everyone is shown respect and welcomed.
  • Ensure the sharing of technology enables equal access to the best HIV science between communities and the Global South and North.
  • Communities will be able to use and adapt the “Equalize” message to highlight the particular inequalities they face and to press for the actions needed to address them.
  • Data from UNAIDS on the global HIV response reveals that during the last two years of COVID-19 and other global crises, progress against the HIV pandemic has faltered, resources have shrunk, and millions of lives are at risk as a result.

Four decades into the HIV response, inequalities persist for the most basic services like testing, treatment, and condoms, and even more so for new technologies.

Young women in Africa remain disproportionately affected by HIV, while coverage of dedicated programmes for them remains too low. In 19 high-burden countries in Africa, dedicated combination prevention programmes for adolescent girls and young women are operating in only 40% of the high HIV incidence locations.

Only a third of people in key populations— including gay men and other men who have sex with men, transgender people, people who use drugs, sex workers, and prisoners—have regular prevention access. Key populations face major legal barriers, including criminalisation, discrimination and stigma.

We have only eight years left before the 2030 goal of ending AIDS as a global health threat. Economic, social, cultural and legal inequalities must be addressed as a matter of urgency. In a pandemic, inequalities exacerbate the dangers for everyone. Indeed, the end of AIDS can only be achieved if we tackle the inequalities which drive it. World leaders need to act with bold and accountable leadership. And all of us, everywhere, must do all we can to help tackle inequalities too.

Activities will build up to World AIDS Day in November. The World AIDS Day report will be released in late November.

On World AIDS Day (1 December) events will take place worldwide. These activities will be led not only by official bodies but also, most importantly, by communities. Through photos and videos shared by groups on social media and aggregated by UNAIDS, people can have a sense of the kaleidoscope of events taking place and be inspired by determination and hope.

“We can end AIDS – if we end the inequalities perpetuating it. This World AIDS Day, we need everyone to get involved in sharing the message that we will all benefit when we tackle inequalities,” says UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima. “To keep everyone safe, to protect everyone’s health, we need to Equalize.”

Adaptable materials for World AIDS Day will be shared on the UNAIDS special World AIDS Day page beginning in October.

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.

– ENDS –

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 is the Jamaica AIDS Support for Life (JASL)?

JASL’s genesis was in the late 1980s when a group of friends responded to the needs of a peer who had become infected with highly stigmatised HIV and faced discrimination in the health care system.  This act led other individuals who were facing similar challenges to the group.  Additionally, the existing government response was preventive and not targeted to include the most vulnerable groups, including persons already infected with HIV, MSM and SW.

In 1991, the organisation was first established as Jamaica AIDS Support (JAS), and was the first NGO specifically responding to HIV.  JAS was urged by the Ministry of Health to continue the work among PLHIV, MSM and SW as trust had been established through the provision of a stigma free zone in which everyone could access testing, counselling and treatment regardless of sexual orientation, gender, race, occupation, colour, class economic status or religion.

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.

What are the 95-95-95 Targets for ending AIDS?

  • 95% of People Living with HIV know their HIV status;
  • 95% of people who know their status on treatment; and
  • 95% of people on treatment with suppressed viral loads.

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.

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.

Millions of lives at risk as progress against HIV and AIDS falters

The Global AIDS Update 2022, released in July, shows that during the last two years of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and other global crises, progress against the HIV pandemic has faltered, resources have shrunk, and millions of lives are at risk.

The report titled “In Danger” was launched ahead of the International AIDS Conference in Montreal, Canada.

On average, the AIDS pandemic took a life every minute in 2021. There were 650 000 AIDS-related deaths last year despite the availability of effective HIV treatment and tools to prevent, detect, and treat opportunistic infections.

The Caribbean 

Regarding the Caribbean, there were an estimated 330 000 people living with HIV last year. According to the report, from 2010 to 2021, AIDS-related deaths in the Region declined by 50 percent.

There were 5700 deaths last year, and new HIV infections decreased by 28 percent since 2010. An estimated 14 000 people contracted HIV during 2021, translating into 270 new HIV infections every week in the Caribbean.

“While the Caribbean has not had the increase in new infections experienced in other regions, the rate of decline is far too slow,” explained Luisa Cabal, UNAIDS Director of the Latin America and Caribbean Regional Support Team.

“Thousands of avoidable HIV infections every year are making it ever harder and more expensive to ensure People Living with HIV have access to lifesaving treatment and that the targets to end the AIDS pandemic by 2030 are reached,” Cabal added.

The report recommends that countries in the Region urgently prioritize combination HIV prevention. This includes behavioural interventions like comprehensive sexuality education as well as moving to large-scale implementation of prevention projects reaching vulnerable populations at elevated risk of HIV so that innovations such as HIV self-testing and pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP become more widely available.

PrEP is daily medicine taken by an HIV-negative person who is at substantial risk to prevent contracting the virus (View the PANCAP PrEP Knowledge Suite).

The data indicated that these prevention strategies are especially important for vulnerable groups like adolescent girls and young women as well as key populations such as gay men and other men who have sex with men, sex workers, transgender people and people who use drugs.

One-third or 34 percent of new HIV infections last year were among Caribbean young people aged 15 – 24. There were twice as many infections among young women (23 percent) as compared to their male peers (11 percent).

The report notes that during the disruptions of the last few years, key populations in the Region have been particularly affected.

As of the end of 2021, an estimated 84 percent of People Living with HIV in the Caribbean were aware of their status. Eighty-three percent of all diagnosed people were on treatment. Of these, 87 percent were virally suppressed last year. The target for 2025 is 95 percent for each of these result areas.

At present, the Caribbean is below the global averages for both HIV treatment coverage and viral suppression.

The report recommends that Caribbean countries implement policies that remove structural barriers to HIV services and repeal laws and policies that criminalize people living with and at risk of HIV.

Finally, deliberate action is required to ensure sufficient and sustainable funding for the Caribbean HIV response.

Image: Ms Luisa Cabal, UNAIDS Director Latin America and Caribbean Regional Support Team