Tools and Guidelines

"The Time Has Come" is a training package for health providers to reduce stigma in health care settings, as well as to enhance HIV, STI and other sexual health services for men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people in Asia and the Pacific. The package offers a dynamic, interactive training programme designed by expert peer trainers. It aims to impart practical, sustainable knowledge and skills to programme managers, frontline service managers and health policy professionals that can enhance their leadership capacity and improve programming and service delivery. The training package is designed to be particularly relevant for health care workers, as well as selected staff from national and provincial HIV programmes, Global Fund project managers, policy-makers, frontline managers and advocates. It is hoped that the training package will play an important role in responding to the need to address sexual orientation and gender identity in the region’s response to HIV. "The Time Has Come" regional training package was jointly developed by UNDP Asia-Pacific Regional Centre (APRC), WHO Southeast Asia Regional Office (SEARO) and WHO Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO).

This document provides guidance to countries for assessing the utility of data from programmes for prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) for HIV sentinel surveillance (HSS) among pregnant women. This guidance document is written for national HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) programme managers, surveillance officers and epidemiologists responsible for monitoring HIV trends in low- and middle-income countries.

The guidelines are aimed at health-care providers because they are in a unique position to address the health and psychosocial needs of women who have experienced violence. Health professionals can provide assistance by facilitating disclosure; offering support and referral; providing the appropriate medical services and follow-up care; or gathering forensic evidence, particularly in cases of sexual violence.

This technical update was prepared in November 2013 in collaboration with key experts, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). Its primary objective is to synthesize experiences, research and policies on HIV self‑testing to inform stakeholders who are considering or already implementing HIV self‑testing.

The precise numbers of people living with HIV, people who have been newly infected or who have died of AIDS are not known. Achieving 100% certainty about the numbers of people living with HIV globally, for example, would require testing every person in the world for HIV regularly—which is logistically impossible and poses ethical problems. But we can estimate those numbers by using other sources of data.

This document describes a process that would enable countries to respond more effectively to their respective HIV epidemics. Using this process, they will be able:

• to review and analyse surveillance efforts already undertaken in the country
• to describe the trends of the epidemic
• to provide recommendations to policy-makers, and
• to design methods for additional data collection to strengthen ongoing surveillance systems.

This handbook is one of a series of tools developed by UNODC to support countries in the implementation of the rule of law and the development of criminal justice reform. It is designed to be used by all actors involved in the criminal justice system, including policymakers, legislators, prison managers, prison staff, members of non-governmental organizations and other individuals interested or active in the field of criminal justice and prison reform. It also addresses health and related professionals involved in the provision of services in the penitentiary system. It can be used in a variety of contexts, both as a reference document and as a training tool.

The Hong Kong Advisory Council on AIDS formulated the “HIV Infection and the Health Care Workers – Recommended Guidelines” in 1994, which was subsequently updated and reprinted in 2003. As scientific knowledge expanded and new developments took place both internationally and locally over the last decade, the Council has reviewed and revised the Guidelines accordingly. In the process, the views and feedback of a variety of stakeholders including those in the HIV and health care fields were actively sought. The public was also consulted before the Guidelines (October 2013) were finalised. The invaluable input of these organizations and individuals is gratefully acknowledged. In October 2015, this Guidelines saw further update on the current operation of the Expert Panel on HIV Infection of Health Care Workers, and time-limited information was removed. The Guidelines aims to provide relevant and concise information and guidance for addressing the complex and sensitive subject of HIV infection and health care workers.

These consolidated guidelines provide guidance on the diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, the care of people living with HIV and the use of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs for treating and preventing HIV infection. They are structured along the continuum of HIV testing, care and treatment. Behavioural, structural and biomedical interventions that do not involve the use of ARV drugs are not covered in these guidelines. The 2013 consolidation process combines and harmonizes recommendations from a range of WHO guidelines and other documents, including the following 2010 guidelines on using antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV infection in adults and adolescents, in infants and children and for treating pregnant women living with HIV and preventing HIV infection in infants. Comprehensive guidance is now provided on using ARV drugs across age groups and populations of adults, pregnant and breastfeeding women, adolescents, children and key populations. The guidelines also aim to consolidate and update clinical, service delivery and programmatic guidance.

These Technical Considerations aim to serve as a guide for primary health providers on the appropriate care of children and adolescents who have experienced sexual violence and exploitation based on current, evidence-based practices. They are expected to inform the efforts of PEPFAR implementers and other partners engaged in the clinical care of children as well as in HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment to strengthen community-based responses to children who have experienced sexual violence and exploitation. They should be implemented in line with national guidelines in the provider’s country of practice. This document is meant to be used by service providers in health care clinics, to include clinicians, behavioral scientists, social workers, pediatric care providers, child protection workers, HIV specialists, and child-focused clinical service providers. The focus is specifically on the clinical management of children who experience sexual violence and exploitation, but communities should also strive to develop comprehensive systems to respond to the needs and rights of these children.