What's New

Tuberculosis (TB) remains among the world’s top infectious killers. Each day, around 4000 people lose their lives to TB and around 30,000 people fall ill with this disease. This preventable and curable disease is deeply rooted in communities “left behind” - where poverty is pervasive and human rights and dignity are limited. The devastating social and economic impact on people affected and their families is profound. This Status Update provides an overview of progress towards global TB targets set in the political declaration of the first UN High-Level Meeting on TB, spanning the period 2018- 2022. It is based primarily on data compiled by WHO’s Global TB Programme from all Member States in annual rounds of data collection.

Over more than a decade, the world has made considerable progress in reaching women with services to reduce vertical transmission of HIV. Most countries have adopted lifelong ART to “treat all” pregnant women, regardless of their CD4 count, as part of a public health approach and one of the key objectives to achieve the elimination of mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) of HIV. Yet, results of efforts to reduce the number of new paediatric HIV infections have fallen short against the 2020 Start Free target, among others; the goal of ending HIV and AIDS in children remains elusive. This key considerations document expands on the 2020 “last mile” operational guidance, with specific considerations for countries with lower HIV prevalence. It builds on the experiences of countries that have been validated for EMTCT of HIV and syphilis and translates the valuable lessons and promising practices of these countries into an operational framework for national programmes, consisting of 12 strategies and enablers to guide efforts towards Fast-Tracking EMTCT in lower prevalence countries.

Infection prevention and control activities are amongst the key components envisaged by the End TB Strategy to curb the tuberculosis (TB) burden worldwide. The WHO operational handbook on tuberculosis. Module 1: prevention - infection prevention and control provides practical advice on how to implement the WHO recommendations on TB infection prevention and control, within the clinical and programmatic management of TB, using a public health approach. It is part of a modular series of practical guides meant for the implementers of various aspects of the programmatic management TB. The handbook emphasizes the importance of building integrated, well-coordinated, multisectoral actions across all levels of health care and other settings where there is a high risk of M. tuberculosis transmission.

The Operational guidance on adaptation and implementation of WHO’s Multisectoral Accountability Framework to end TB (MAF-TB) provides practical advice on key approaches and interventions needed to establish the MAF-TB at the national (and local) levels with concrete country examples, best practices and case studies under each suggested approach and interventions. 

PrEP Product Awareness, Preferences, and Past Experiences among Transgender Women and Men Who Have Sex with Men in Asia and Australia (PrEP APPEAL) was a survey study in 16 countries and territories in Asia and Australia. The overall goal of PrEP APPEAL was to identify values and preferences about PrEP, as well as barriers and facilitators to PrEP uptake, among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW) in Asia and Australia. Key findings

• PrEP awareness was high with 81% of TGW, 80% of MSM in Asian low- and middle-income countries, 91% of MSM in high-income countries and 97% of MSM in Australia having heard of PrEP.
• Among participants who had heard of PrEP, 48% of TGW, 25% of MSM in Asian low- and middle-income countries, 19% of MSM in Asian high-income countries, and 47% of MSM in Australia were current PrEP users.
• Of those who had never taken PrEP, 57% of TGW, 72% of MSM in Asian low- and middle-income countries, 70% of MSM in Asian high-income countries, and 65% of MSM in Australia stated that they would like to take PrEP.
• Across all populations, cost was the most important driver of choice to use PrEP.
• The type of PrEP was the next most important driver of choice to use PrEP for TGW, MSM in Asian low- and middle-income countries, and MSM in Australia.
• Side effects were the second most important driver of choice to use PrEP for MSM in Asian high-income countries.

The country HIV snapshots prepared by UNAIDS’ HIV and AIDS Data Hub for Asia Pacific provide comprehensive information on the HIV epidemic and response in Asia and the Pacific countries. Download the country snapshots to find out the most up-to-date HIV data and analysis.

The country snapshot prepared by UNAIDS’ HIV and AIDS Data Hub for Asia Pacific provides comprehensive information on the HIV epidemic and response in Malaysia. Download the country snapshot to find out the most up-to-date HIV data and analysis.

The country snapshot prepared by UNAIDS’ HIV and AIDS Data Hub for Asia Pacific provides comprehensive information on the HIV epidemic and response in Viet Nam. Download the country snapshot to find out the most up-to-date HIV data and analysis.

The country snapshot prepared by UNAIDS’ HIV and AIDS Data Hub for Asia Pacific provides comprehensive information on the HIV epidemic and response in Timor-Leste. Download the country snapshot to find out the most up-to-date HIV data and analysis.

The country snapshot prepared by UNAIDS’ HIV and AIDS Data Hub for Asia Pacific provides comprehensive information on the HIV epidemic and response in Thailand. Download the country snapshot to find out the most up-to-date HIV data and analysis.