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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?

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.

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

Director’s Message September – October 2021

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic threatens to reverse years of progress across many Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). While the virus has impacted everyone, it affects the world’s poorest and the most vulnerable people the most. The SDGs related to HIV and AIDS speak to ending AIDS and other communicable diseases by 2030. This is further reflected in the Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework on HIV (CRSF) 2019 – 2025 that serves as the guiding strategy for the Caribbean Region. However, actions to accelerate the CRSF have been significantly impacted by the disruptive nature of the pandemic. Health systems are struggling to mitigate the disruptions, which takes away the focus from the elimination agenda.

At the end of 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. This highlights that there are still significant gaps to get to the 2030 agenda of ending AIDS in the Caribbean.

For us to get on track to end AIDS by 2030, Caribbean countries must step up the pace around prevention, testing, treatment, care and ending stigma and discrimination. This is going to necessitate a doubling up of efforts requiring us to ensure the continuity of services in a significantly disrupted environment while at the same time accelerating progress around the elimination goals.

Key Populations must be at the centre of the response to ensure that we strategize correctly to meet service delivery during the pandemic and respond to the elimination agenda. Key populations and their sexual partners accounted for more than 60% of new infections in 2020 and continue to be disproportionately affected by both the pandemic and the HIV epidemic.

Some strategies that must be adapted are decentralizing services to access points preferred by Key Populations to ensure uninterrupted access to HIV services and reducing contact with clinics. We would also need to scale up Multi-month Dispensing (MMD) and community refills of ART, PrEP and other medications. We will also need to maximize online service delivery options. However, while doing so, we must ensure that these services are assessable, affordable and Key Populations have the necessary infrastructure to access these services.

While the pandemic can be disruptive, it presents us with an opportunity to implement new strategies to mitigate its impact and ensure continuity of services. If these solutions are sustained beyond the pandemic, they may also modernize HIV and key population programming and position us towards the elimination agenda.

COVID-19 Behaviors Dashboard

The Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs recently launched the COVID-19 Behaviors Dashboard. The digital tool highlights data from a global survey of knowledge, attitudes and practices around COVID-19, including vaccine acceptance.

A webinar to launch the Dashboard was held earlier this week. Click below for the webinar recording and presentation slides. A link to the Dashboard is also below.

National AIDS Commission (NAC) Belize Equips Civil Society Organisations with PPE

In September, Mr Enrique Romero, Executive Director, National AIDS Commission (NAC) Belize, presented personal protective equipment (PPE), specifically face shields, to members of civil society organizations (CSOs).

The donation was made possible through support from PANCAP’s COVID-19 (C19RM) grant, of which Belize is a beneficiary.

The beneficiaries included Belize Family Life Association – BFLA, “Our Circle”, United Belize Advocacy Movement – Unibam, Belize Trans Colors, Empower Yourself Belize Movement – EYBM, Belize Youth Empowerment For Change – BYEC and Helpage Belize.

Additional PPE for CSOs are forthcoming and will be presented at a later date.

COVID-19 Has Devastated HIV and TB Services According to New Global Fund Report

Washington, DC – New data released by the Global Fund today shows that COVID-19 had a devastating impact on the fight against AIDS and tuberculosis in 2020, and it makes clear the critically important role of emergency support provided by the U.S. as part of the American Rescue Plan.

For the first time in the history of the Global Fund, key programmatic results in the fight against AIDS, TB and malaria have gone backwards, the annual results report showed. About one million fewer people with TB were treated in 2020 compared with 2019. For drug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant TB, testing and treatment declined by a staggering 19% and 37%, respectively. Until COVID-19 arrived, TB killed more people globally than any other infectious disease and is now the second deadliest infectious disease in the world.

HIV continues to hit young women and girls the hardest. Every week, 5,000 adolescent girls and young women are infected with HIV in east and southern Africa. But in 2020, 11% fewer people were reached with HIV prevention programs and services. HIV tests declined by 22%. For HIV treatment, children have been left furthest behind, with only 54% getting the lifesaving HIV treatment they need.

Malaria programming fared better through the pandemic, but progress against the disease – which killed over 400,000 people in 2019 — has stalled.

Yet the impact of COVID-19 today would have been even worse without support from the United States and other countries, whose investments allowed the Global Fund to move with speed and scale to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on HIV, TB and malaria in 2020.

In 2021, the United States committed an additional $3.5 billion to the Global Fund’s COVID-19 Response Mechanism as part of the American Rescue Plan. The COVID-19 Response Mechanism is helping to support innovations like delivering malaria bed nets door-to-door, dispensing multi-month supplies of TB and HIV drugs and using digital tools to monitor TB treatment.

For example, with the Global Fund’s support, in Nigeria, the National AIDS Council tested for both COVID-19 and HIV simultaneously, helping the country find more HIV-positive people. Most malaria campaigns quickly adapted to COVID-19, avoiding large disruptions, and the number of children protected through Seasonal Chemoprevention Campaigns has increased.

U.S. emergency funding has also made a direct and tangible impact on the COVID-19 response in low- and middle-income countries receiving Global Fund grants. The emergency U.S. funds are being used to shore up health systems, scale-up COVID-19 rapid testing and provide desperately needed therapeutics like oxygen. As of August 2021, $3.3 billion had been approved for 107 countries and 16 multi-country programs through the COVID-19 Response Mechanism and flexibilities within existing grants.

As the Delta variant tore through India earlier this year, the Global Fund was able to fast-track $75 million to the country to purchase oxygen concentrators and Pressure Swing Adsorption oxygen plants. When Delta caused a surge of COVID-19 cases in Uganda, the Global Fund was able to support the country’s urgent order for additional PPE and COVID-19 tests. As of July 5, the Global Fund had delivered 2.5 million diagnostic tests to Uganda.

“I want to thank Congress for providing a significant infusion of COVID-19 funding to the Global Fund during a critical and terrifying time. The new data confirms that COVID-19 has had a devastating impact and also makes clear how crucial U.S. support continues to be,” said Chris Collins, president and CEO of Friends of the Global Fight. “Next year’s data will be even more shocking if we do not step up and increase investments in global health. The lives of millions of people are now on the line. With dangerous new COVID-19 variants wreaking havoc, particularly in low-income countries, the United States and its partners must do more to make sure that 20 years of progress against AIDS, TB and malaria won’t come undone.”

Dr Jeffrey L. Sturchio, Friends’ Board Chair and chairman at Rabin Martin, a global health strategy consulting firm, agreed.

“Let’s not forget that the Global Fund has been remarkably effective, saving 44 million lives since 2002. It has weathered the crisis of operating during a global pandemic, but it needs more resources. The world can’t afford to backslide any further on fighting AIDS, TB and malaria. Investments to end these epidemics will also help to strengthen health systems to meet the dual challenges of addressing COVID-19 and preparing for future pandemics.”

Belize to implement HIV Self-testing

The National AIDS Commission (NAC) Belize announced that the country is preparing to launch HIV Self Testing, an innovative service delivery model, during the new Global Fund grant cycle.
HIV self-testing is a process whereby a person collects saliva or pinprick blood specimen, performs a test, and receives the result privately. Evidence shows that self-testing is safe and accurate and increases testing uptake among people who may not test otherwise. It offers a way to make testing discreet, comfortable, and empowering.
Self-testing will also help ensure that HIV diagnosis does not decline during the COVID-19 pandemic as part of a comprehensive strategy.

COVID-19 vaccines were not developed overnight “humanity was lucky” — Guyanese virologist at Pfizer

Principal Research Scientist at the United States drug maker Pfizer, Dr Vidia Roopchand, has sought to dispel concerns that COVID vaccines were developed overnight but said they date back to the fight against two other coronaviruses.

He said research in tackling Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in the early 2000s and Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2012 formed the basis for developing vaccines for COVID-19.

“A lot of people don’t realise this, but people have been working on coronaviruses for at least the last 20 years because the first SARS came out in 2001, so people have been working on a spike for SARS and other coronaviruses for a long time… so SARS and MERS allowed us, meaning the virology community,…to make all of these structural substitutions,” he said.

Speaking on a University of Guyana (UG)-organised webinar on the topic “SARS COV-2 (Covid-19) Viral Physiology and Vaccine Development”, he explained that coronaviruses, including many of the common cold viruses, have been infecting humans for a long time. They include the Human coronavirus HKU1 (HCoV-HKU1), which has been causing respiratory problems for many years.

“People have been studying coronaviruses for a while, but when SARS occurred, people started taking notice, and around that time, there was a revolution in structural biology,” he said, adding that the technology advanced in making images of crystals. He said after MERS came on the scene, scientists said coronaviruses were not as innocuous as they used to think, resulting in them being able to examine gene and protein sequences.

He said the evidence shows that the Pfizer jab is neutralising the Delta variant, even as he urged more people to be inoculated to reduce the chance of other variants. Dr Roopchand urged people to visit the United States Food and Drug Administration’s website to examine the data on the vaccine.

The Virologist said the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine comprises an RNA sequence, lipids, some salt, sugars, and other constituents.

He said the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had granted Emergency Use Authorisation, based on the efficacy, even as trials continued. The FDA has since granted full authorisation for adults, while emergency authorisation continues for children from 12 years upwards. The US government recently donated 146,000 doses of the Pfizer jab for inoculating mainly adolescents as part of a “back-to-classroom” plan from September 6, 2021.

While there is a perception among some persons that scientists do not believe in God, he stressed that “I do believe in God and I think that something like this makes me believe in God even more because everything works and we were able to make this vaccine.”

The Principal Researcher at Pfizer said the efficacy of the polio vaccine lasts a lifetime because the entire virus had been used for that vaccine, but RNA was now being used for the first time in the manufacture of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Dr Persaud received his early education at the Methodist Primary on Wakenaam Island, Essequibo River and then the Anna Regina Multilateral School before going to the University of Guyana. He later obtained higher qualifications in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University.

PANCAP welcomes Ms Simone Jackson, PEPFAR Coordinator, Caribbean Regional Program, Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator and Health Diplomacy (S/GAC)

From the Desk of the Director, Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP):

Dear Partners,

Please join me in welcoming our new PEPFAR Coordinator, Ms Simone  Jackson, who is based at the U.S. Embassy in Kingston, Jamaica. Most recently, she served as Internal Political Unit Chief at the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia, Brazil (2018-2021).  Simone will oversee the United States’ assistance to combat HIV and AIDS in Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. I anticipate engaging with Simone to strengthen the Region’s HIV response and plan the way forward as we continue to navigate COVID-19.  I wish her the best in her new leadership role to advance PEPFAR’s support and serve the region.

Yours sincerely,

Dr Rosmond Adams

Biography

Ms Simone Jackson, PEPFAR Coordinator, Caribbean Regional Program, Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator and Health Diplomacy (S/GAC)

Simone Jackson is the PEPFAR Coordinator for the Caribbean Regional Program based at the U.S. Embassy in Kingston, Jamaica.

She joined the U.S. Department of State in 2003 and most recently served as Internal Political Unit Chief at the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia, Brazil (2018-2021).  Previous overseas assignments include Management Section Chief in Luanda, Angola (2014-2015), Refugee and Humanitarian Affairs Officer in Islamabad, Pakistan (2011-2013), Deputy Economic Counselor in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (2010-2011), Economic Officer in Mexico City, Mexico (2006-2008), and Visa Section Chief in Sanaa, Yemen (2004-2006).

Simone has also served in Washington as the Senior Economic Officer in the Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs (2016-2018), Energy Officer for Turkey and the Caucuses in the Bureau of Energy Resources (2015-2016), and Program Officer in the Office of Refugee Admissions (2008-2010).

Simone is originally from Miami, Florida and holds a Bachelor’s in International Affairs and Economics from George Washington University.  She is married to a fellow Foreign Service Officer; they have two daughters and a son.

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The Global Fund Continues to Support the Regional HIV Response

The Caribbean Region ranks among the top eight areas globally with the highest number of new HIV infections. Over the past decade, there have been significant strides in the Region in decreasing Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV, decreasing deaths from AIDS, providing more Persons Living with HIV with life-saving Antiretroviral Drugs (ARVs), and supporting persons on medications in attaining viral suppression.  This has resulted in a reduction in HIV transmission and improved quality of life.

However, significant challenges remain. Although 77% of the estimated 330,000 Persons Living with HIV in the Caribbean overall have been tested and are aware of their status, and 81% of those diagnosed are on life-saving medications, with 80% of those on medications attaining viral suppression, progress has not been uniform across the Caribbean.

The Region has also not been able to stem the occurrence of new infections. These disproportionately affect socially marginalized key populations, including men who have sex with men, sex workers, adolescent girls, and young women.

The ongoing Coronavirus pandemic has disrupted several vital services essential for the control of HIV in the Region. For example, prevention services have seen a steep decline while testing services in many countries have fallen off, and community outreach has come to a halt.

Considering these disruptions and the potential that the pandemic can take us off track, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria continues to support the Region to implement mitigation strategies to ensure continuity of services for HIV.

Through the support of the Global Fund, countries are implementing HIV self-testing initiatives to reach key populations and those who have difficulties accessing testing services. The Global Fund is also supporting community efforts and strengthening Civil Society Organisations’ capacity to reach communities most in need and offer the services they require, such as home delivery of ARVs and other commodities.

The Global Fund continues to be one of the most significant donor agencies supporting HIV work in the Caribbean.

PANCAP welcomes the Adoption of the 2021 Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS

The Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) has been engaged over the past months with Member States and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to prepare for the United Nations High-level meeting on HIV.

This High-level Meeting is expected to be the springboard for a decade of action to reduce inequalities and root out the social determinants that fuel the HIV epidemic. All Member States were encouraged to participate in this meeting and to let their voices be heard. CSOs were especially encouraged to be part of country delegations since they play an important role in supporting the national and regional response.

The High-level Meeting is a call to action for Caribbean countries to recognize that despite the progress in the Region, there is still a lot of work to be done to fill the existing gaps. Countries must seize the opportunity to maintain their focus and commitment to ending AIDS as a public health threat as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

PANCAP is pleased to see the progress represented by the new Political Declaration. Although we would have loved to see stronger language in some areas, and we are disappointed by some critical omissions and weaknesses in the Declaration, the Partnership pledges to continue working with all stakeholders in the Region to ensure that these are addressed as work towards ending AIDS continues.

There is much to welcome in the Political Declaration. PANCAP is pleased to see that key populations were named. This will ensure that the focus and response are placed where needed. Key populations have been at the heart of community-led responses to HIV for 40 years. Their continued leadership, along with the leadership of other vulnerable populations – women, adolescents and young people, Indigenous peoples, and people with disabilities – is essential and deserves greater recognition.

For this Political Declaration to mean something to the people affected and impacted by HIV, it must be supported at the highest level, and it must be backed with the financial and other needed resources.

Let us work together to ensure that this Declaration is not only words on paper but also means something to those crying out for our help.  Lets us all work together to END AIDS.