A strategy to halt and reverse the HIV epidemic among people who inject drugs in Asia and the Pacific 2010-2015 [PDF 1.2 MB]

This document is a call to action and a road map to ensure that the HIV and hepatitis epidemics among people who use drugs and their sexual partners in the Asia Pacific region will be halted. It is a collective product prepared on behalf of the United Nations Regional Task Force on Injecting Drug use and HIV for Asia and the Pacific. The strategy is designed to provide a regional framework, and it identifies issues and priorities and provides guidance to countries in the region for developing national strategic responses over the next six years. It shows the important link between halting the HIV epidemic and health and development, and will help countries achieve United Nations Millennium Development Goal 6 that calls for a halt and a reverse in the spread of HIV by 2015.  The strategy also addresses new challenges and the responses required to overcome them, including the diagnosis and treatment of the hepatitis C co-infection and the need for evidence-based drug treatment for people who use methamphetamines. All the responses to these challenges should be guided by strategic information and grounded in the meaningful involvement of people who use drugs.

Regional strategy for the elimination of congenital syphilis [PDF 1.5 MB]

Worldwide, syphilis accounts for an estimated 12 million cases, 2 million of them among pregnant women. Syphilis in pregnant women can result in adverse outcomes of pregnancy in up to 80% of cases, such as stillbirth and spontaneous abortion, perinatal death, and serious neonatal infections and low-birth-weight babies. The annual global number of cases of congenital syphilis is estimated to be between 713 600 and 1 575 000. More newborn infants are affected by congenital syphilis than any other infection including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tetanus. The morbidity and mortality due to congenital syphilis is much higher than that due to mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV, yet syphilis has not received the same attention as HIV. This is mainly due to inadequate political commitment and insufficient national and international awareness of the burden of congenital syphilis.

This Regional strategy for the elimination of congenital syphilis (ECS) is aimed at various stakeholders concerned with ECS including national policy-makers, programme officials, nongovernmental organizations, international nongovernmental organizations, community-based organizations, multilateral and bilateral donor agencies, and United Nations agencies.

HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care and Treatment in the South-East Asia Region – Report on the 19th Meeting of the National AIDS Programme Managers, Bali, Indonesia, 29-31 October, 2007[PDF 1.81 MB]

The 19th Meeting of National AIDS Programme Managers brought together senior representatives from the Ministry of Health, programme managers from national AIDS programme, representatives from partner agencies to review the overall HIV situation in the region, to discuss the scaling up of HIV/STI prevention, care and treatment, and to build consensus on key indicators on HIV prevention, care and treatment in the South-East Asia Region.

Regional Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Sexually Transmitted Infections 2007–2015[PDF 1.58 MB]

This publication describes the diversity of STI epidemics in the South-East Asia Region, and highlights opportunities for strengthening control efforts. It builds on regional successes and introduces new approaches endorsed in WHO’s global STI strategy. It describes how countries can take concrete steps to:

      Reduce the incidence of STIs in high-risk networks where most transmissions take place;

      Improve STI services to further reduce morbidity and mortality, and

      Strengthen STI surveillance to provide reliable data to guide the response.

Scaling–up HIV Prevention, Care and Treatment – Report of a Regional Meeting, Bangkok, Thailand, 31 October–02 November 2006[PDF 1.14 MB]

The Regional Meeting on Scaling-up HIV Prevention, Care and Treatment Interventions brought together senior representatives from the Ministry of Health, programme managers from national AIDS programmes as well as from reproductive health and adolescent health programmes, representatives from nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and development partners to exchange information and provided a platform for technical and strategic discussions on scaling-up HIV prevention, care and treatment interventions in the South-East Asia Region.

Universal Access to HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care and Treatment in the Health Sector: Report of the 18th National AIDS Programme Managers’ Meeting Kathmandu, Nepal, 5-7 December 2005[PDF 318 KB]

In response to the need to rapidly scale-up HIV prevention, care and treatment in the health sector, the World Health Organization (WHO) organized a meeting of National AIDS Programme Managers in Kathmandu, Nepal during 5-7 December 2005. There was one common day with National Tuberculosis Programme Managers to review and discuss TB/HIV collaborative activities.  The meeting reinforced the call for urgent action to implement collaborative TB/HIV activities including development of national strategies, technical and operational guidelines and TB/HIV surveillance. The meeting also recommended that in the view of scaling up HIV interventions efforts to decentralize health services should be made. Particular attention should be paid to interventions targeting populations at high-risk for HIV such as injecting drug users, sex workers and men having sex with men.

HIV Surveillance among Tuberculosis Patients – Report of an Informal Consultation, New Delhi, 17-18 November 2005,[PDF 275 KB]

The rapid growth of the HIV epidemic in many countries has resulted in an equally dramatic rise in TB, even in countries with well-organized national TB control programmes, that are successfully implementing the DOTS strategy. The importance of surveillance of HIV among TB patients is increasingly being recognized. In many countries the HIV prevalence in TB patients is a sensitive indicator of the spread of HIV into the general population. Information on HIV level in TB patients is essential to respond to the increasing commitment to provide comprehensive HIV/AIDS care and support, including ART, to HIV-positive TB patients.

Scaling-up Towards Universal Access to HIV Prevention, Treatment and Care: Report of the WHO-UNAIDS Joint Regional Technical, Briefing on Universal Access[PDF 267 KB]

Universal access is an important initiative to scale up coverage and quality of HIV/AIDS interventions, particularly for the poor and marginalized populations. The meeting discussed the conceptual framework and process for achieving universal access as well as opportunities, obstacles, and suggestions from member countries.  It was concluded that main components of universal access have been developed in the past years but these interventions now need to be scaled-up. Universal access should be a country driven process with countries setting their own realistic but challenging targets. Countries would set up short- and medium-term milestones to be achieved by 2010 with the guiding principles and lessons learned from the “3 by 5” initiative.

Expanding Access to HIV/AIDS Treatment: Mission report India, 8-12 December 2003[PDF 381 KB]

On World AIDS Day 2003, the Government of India (GOI) announced a strong policy commitment to provide antiretroviral therapy (ART) to 100 000 people with HIV/AIDS starting 1 April 2004.  This policy development is in accordance with the recent declaration of the AIDS treatment gap as a global public health emergency and the launch of the WHO/UNAIDS initiative to provide 3 million people with ART by the end of 2005 ("3 by 5" initiative). From 8 to 12 December 2003, a team of national and international experts visited India to assess the country's readiness for rapid scale-up of ART, to identify the technical support that will be needed, and to recommend urgent action towards achieving the time-bound target.

Expanding Access to HIV/AIDS Treatment: Mission report Indonesia, 19-31 January 2004[PDF 480 KB]

On World AIDS Day 2003, the Government of India (GOI) announced a strong policy commitment to provide antiretroviral therapy (ART) to people with HIV/AIDS starting 1 April 2004.  This policy development is in accordance with the recent declaration of the AIDS treatment gap as a global public health emergency and the launch of the WHO/UNAIDS initiative to provide 3 million people with ART by the end of 2005 ("3 by 5" initiative). From 19 to 31 January 2004, a team of national and international experts visited Indonesia to assess the country's readiness for rapid scale-up of ART, to identify the technical support that will be needed, and to recommend urgent action towards achieving the time-bound target.

Biregional Strategy for Harm Reduction 2005-2009 [PDF 373 KB]

Injecting drug use is rising worldwide. Of an estimated 13.2 million people now injecting drugs, 78% are in developing and transitional countries, with as many as half in Asia. HIV can spread explosively amid circumstances that create risk situations or facilitate unsafe behavior among those who inject drugs. In order to accelerate action against the rapidly increasing and high prevalence of HIV among people who inject drugs in Asia, the WHO Regional Offices for the South-East Asia and Western Pacific and the bi-regional contact group on HIV and drug use have prepared the Bi-regional Strategy for Harm Reduction 2005-2008.

Scaling up HIV/AIDS - Prevention, Care and Treatment : Report of the National AIDS Programme Managers' Meeting Bangkok, Thailand, 10-11 July 2004[PDF 985 KB]

HIV/AIDS continues to devastate families, communities and societies in many parts of the world, affecting primarily populations who are poor, vulnerable and socially marginalized. At the end of 2003, 38 million people were estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS. Out of the global total two thirds are living in Sub-saharan Africa.  The South-East Asia Region of WHO (SEAR) ranks second with more than six million people.  While the epidemic has not begun to reverse except in Thailand, there is a growing need for care for the number of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs).

Expanding Access to HIV/AIDS Treatment : A Strategic Framework for Action at Country Level[PDF 402 KB]

For the vast majority of people living with HIV/AIDS in resource poor countries antiretroviral treatment (ART) has remained largely inaccessible. A well designed strategy and plan for scale up of ART without compromising on the basic prevention strategies is of critical importance. This document outlines a strategic framework within which the ART programme can be implemented in the South-East Asia Region. It underscores the important need to strengthen the capacities of health systems to identify individuals who need therapy, facilitate their entry into the ART programme, provide an uninterrupted supply of antiretroviral drugs and diagnostics and ensure treatment adherence. It also reiterates the need to collaborate with a number of partners from both the public and private sectors and especially with people living with HIV/AIDS who can play a critical role in advocacy, in reducing stigma and discrimination and in educating communities to come forward for HIV testing.

Regional Strategic Plan on HIV/TB[PDF 726 KB]

Tuberculosis has been a major public health problem for centuries. The implementation of effective health interventions for the prevention and control of TB has significantly contributed to a substantial reduction of the global disease burden.

TB and HIV/AIDS in the South-East Asia Region – Report of the Second Joint Meeting of National AIDS and TB Programme Managers[PDF 184 KB]

The second joint meeting of National HIV/AIDS and TB Programme Managers from Member Countries in the SEA Region was held in November 2002 at Colombo, Sri Lanka. The purpose of the meeting was to strengthen joint TB/HIV collaborative activities in Member States.

HIV/AIDS Strategic Framework for South-East Asia Region 2002-2006[PDF 72 KB]

WHO and UNAIDS estimate that at the end of 2001, 40 million people around the world were living with HIV. The epidemic is now spreading rapidly in the Asia, where new infection are increasing faster than anywhere else in the world.

Planning and Implementation HIV/AIDS Care Programmes: A step-by-step approach

A step-by-step approach

WHO/SEARO, 1999, SEA/AIDS/106, 17 pages, gratis.

The approach to developing HIV/AIDS care described in this booklet will help programme managers, non-governmental organization (NGOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) to plan for the development and strengthening of such programmes. The concept of comprehensive care across the continuum - from the hospital to the community and home, and the key steps in setting this up are outlined.

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Strategies for Safe Blood Transfusion

WHO/SEARO, 1998, SEA/HLM/311, 74 pages, gratis.

There is an urgent need to develop strategies for safe blood transfusion in the Region. The technical knowledge to achieve the objective of safe blood transfusion has been presented in this book, which is addressed to national health authorities and transfusion specialists; it will assist them in establishing national blood transfusion programmes and creating an organized blood transfusion service to ensure blood safety. 

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Clinical Management of HIV and AIDS at District Level

WHO/SEARO, 1998, SEA/AIDS/101, 131 pages, gratis.

There are wide variations among member countries in the presentation of HIV-related disorders, availability of resources and health infrastructure; clear treatment guidelines for health care workers are often not available. To address this, WHO clinical management guidelines have been adapted for the Region to promote standard clinical practice. These guidelines have been prepared with a view to assist countries in the Region to formulate national guidelines in accordance with their own particular needs.

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Information, Education and Communication

A Guide for Programme Managers

WHO/SEARO, 1995, SEA/AIDS/81, 35 pages, gratis.

Information, education and communication (IEC) activities can be very effective in bringing about appropriate changes in behaviour, especially among populations with high-risk behaviour. IEC is also important for advocacy to motivate policy and decision-makers to create environments conducive to behavioural change, and to provide much needed services. This guide describes the steps in HIV/AIDS IEC planning and implementation. Although directed primarily to managers of National AIDS control programmes, it is also useful for non-governmental IEC activities. 

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HIV/AIDS Care at the Institutional, Community and Home Level

WHO/SEARO, 1993, SEA/AIDS/65, 24 pages, gratis.

This is the report of a WHO regional workshop on HIV/AIDS continuum of care at the institutional, community and home level, held at Bangkok in 1993. Given the varying and increasing needs created by the AIDS pandemic, and the limited resources available in developing countries, this publication has been prepared to underline the need for integrating AIDS care into primary health care services, and for establishing linkages between hospitals, health centres and communities to provide appropriate and cost-effective care to people with HIV/AIDS.

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