2023-11-06 08:00:00
• Ukraine: support in the chaos of war
Director of the largest patient association in Ukraine and Europe, “100% Life”, a network of people living with HIV, Valeriya Rachynska lives with HIV herself. His existence, like that of the 136,000 patients who accessed antiretroviral treatments, was disrupted by the war. “Before the war, Life was an example of success, in its impact and in its management. When the conflict broke out, we organized the provision of antiretroviral treatment to 130,000 people, but also made commitments that go well beyond the framework of a patients’ association: we fed and saved a million Ukrainians from the hunger, while supplying medicines to the occupied territories and besieged cities. »
Valeriya Rachynska, director of “100% Life”, the largest association of patients living with HIV in Ukraine and Europe
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An expansion that was possible thanks to the rapid reorientation of Global Fund programs to meet the most urgent needs. Funding from the “Initiative” (formerly “5% initiative”, France’s indirect contribution to the Global Fund) also provided resources for the purchase of generators, allowing community organizations to continue operating. However, the situation still remains very worrying today: the number of new HIV cases diagnosed has fallen to 3,500 per year, compared to 18,000 previously, and the treatment of tuberculosis is deteriorating in the country. We still need to help Ukraine win its other war, once morest pandemics.
• Tunisia: the need to improve screening
Head of the infectious diseases department at Monastir University Hospital, Professor Mohamed Chakroun is the president of CCM Tunisia (Country Coordinating Mechanism for the program of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in the country ). Created in 2004 to access funding and support the national response strategy once morest HIV and the fight once morest tuberculosis, this participatory and inclusive body has 21 members, including NGOs and representatives of key populations. “Despite the strong commitment of all actors involved in the response to HIV and the significant efforts deployed over the last two decades, certain issues still deserve particular attention,” says Professor Chakroun.
Mohamed Chakroun, head of the infectious diseases department at Monastir University Hospital, and president of CCM Tunisia
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Among the obstacles identified: the weakness of the care cascade, the weak involvement of the private sector, the need to optimize community engagement, barriers to access to health, the dependence of NGOs on funding from the Fund and the preparation for the transition. A country with low prevalence, Tunisia had around 4,500 HIV-positive and AIDS patients in 2020, according to UNAIDS. 300 to 400 new cases are detected each year, an increasing figure, which can also be explained by the influx of migrants. Only half of those affected are under treatment, the fault of too late detection and a form of denial originating from a still-prevailing social stigma. Improving screening is a priority to enable Tunisia to achieve the 2030 objectives.
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