Publications

In 2010, Myanmar engaged in the regional project on modes of transmission of HIV. This project aimed at improving the understanding of the HIV epidemics by estimating the incidence of selected subpopulations. Initially, the work was carried out by an ad‐hoc group comprising of staff from the Ministry of Health and United Nations agencies. Following the formation of the Strategic Information and M&E (SI/M&E) Working Group of the TSG, the responsibility for this work was given to the Working Group.

The second Myanmar National Strategic Plan on HIV and AIDS, 2011–2015(NSP II),wasdeveloped in 2010. Progress onthe implementation of theplan is reportedon a yearly basis. The information included in this report has been provided by organizations involved in the national response to HIV and AIDS in 2012. The NSP II includes threestrategic priorities and a series of cross-cutting interventions aimed at providing HIV prevention, care and treatment and support for people living with HIV (PLHIV) and creating an enabling environment to achieve the “Three Zeros”–zero new HIV infections, zero AIDS-related deaths and zero stigma and discrimination.

It has been 12 years since the last report on HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) was published by the Regional Office for the Western Pacific (WPRO) of the World Health Organization in 1999. This report documents the achievements and challenges of the Region’s health sector response to the epidemic over the past decade. It identifies key technical recommendations to further reduce the number of new infections, and prolong and improve the quality of life of people living with HIV in the Region.

Empower is a Thai sex worker organization started by Ms. Chantawipa Apisuk, a group of sex workers and activists in Patpong, Bangkok’s in 1984. In 2010 Empower decided to undertake a nation-wide community research project to identify and document the impact of the current Thai anti-trafficking law, policy and practice, on sex workers in Thailand, and to develop relevant and achievable solutions. There were 206 Thai and migrant sex workers had become part of the RATS-W project; leading the research consultations, interviewing, giving expert testimony, investigating and undertaking the analysis and preliminary documentation. The 206 sex workers who worked on the project can be divided into 170 research partners; 36 research leaders coordinated by a research working team of four. They are all referred to herein as research leaders, research partners or sex workers interchangeably.

This concept note illustrates achievements to date as well as strategic directions to eliminate new HIV infections in Cambodia as part of the health sector response to achieve the "Three Zeros" by 2020. With the aim of reaching Zero New HIV Infections, and in line with the 2012 WHO guidance1 the following interventions are being considered: accelerating HIV case detection among most-at-risk populations (MARPs), pregnant women, and partners of PLHIV on care and the immediate initiation of ART as Prevention.

The 2012 Thailand AIDS Response Progress Report covers the period 2010 and 2011. This report was prepared with the full collaboration and participation of all related sectors including government, civil society and international organizations. The spread of HIV in Thailand continues after the first diagnosed case nearly 30 years ago. From the first AIDS case report in 1984, the main driving force of the epidemic has been unsafe sex, and this has disproportionately affected women and men of reproductive age. Even though Thailand has had a National Strategic Plan since 1992 which helped the country succeed in rapidly slowing the spread of the virus during the decade that followed, HIV continued to spread during the first decade of the new millennium among the general population, with troubling trends in the key affected populations, including female sex workers (FSW), men who have sex with men (MSM), and people who inject drugs (PWID).

HIV Sentinel Surveillance is one of the key components of second generation surveillance system in India to track the HIV epidemic in the country with the objective of understanding the level and trends of HIV epidemic among different population groups as well as to identify the spread of the epidemic to new pockets.

An explosive HIV epidemic among PWID exists in Cebu City. In 2008 HIV transmission was primarily due to sexual contact (90%), but by 2012 it was injecting drug use (77%). The 2011 biological and behavioural surveillance in Cebu City reported HIV prevalence among PWID to be 54%, with Hepatitis C prevalence reaching 94%. The same study found 15% of freelance female sex workers had injected drugs and among male injectors 24% reported same sex behaviours. There are an estimated 6000 PWID in metro Cebu, with 2000 - 2500 PWID in Cebu City, of which the majority share their injecting equipment; many are sexually active, resulting in spread of HIV to their non-injecting wives/ partners and then possibly to their babies. The current public health crisis requires an urgent and well coordinated response.

This report aimed to investigate the STI and HIV risk and vulnerability of young iTaukei women attending USP in Suva, Fiji. This research had three objectives: 1) to identify what HIV and STI risk behaviors are occurring among female university students; 2) to identify the determinants of HIV and STI risk behavior among female university students; 3) to determine what is needed to develop a gender and culturally sensitive HIV and STI prevention program on campus that address the specific determinants of risk for female university students.

Women may make up half the world’s population, but they do not share it equally. This is especially evident when it comes to HIV. Half of all people living with HIV are women, yet many are underserved or do not know their status. Despite the many successes we have seen, women still face inequalities that will keep the AIDS response from reaching its full potential. Women out loud amplifies the voices of women living with HIV so that their knowledge is shared and acted upon. This is essential to achieve the 10 targets of the 2011 United Nations Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS. This report reinforces UNAIDS’ efforts to strengthen the AIDS response’s focus on women. We celebrate the fact that UN Women has joined UNAIDS as its 11th Cosponsor and hope that the newly created UNAIDS Women Living with HIV Dialogue Platform will bring the voices and influence of women living with HIV closer to the UN's day-to-day work.