HIV/AIDS Monitoring

Grants & Focus Areas

HIV/AIDS represents a global public health crisis of unparalleled proportions. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) estimates that HIV/AIDS has already claimed the lives of more than 30 million people, and that 34–46 million others are currently infected. In 2005, nearly three million people died from HIV/AIDS and over four million others became infected. More young adults have succumbed to the virus worldwide than to any other disease, leaving behind millions of orphans and devastating families, communities, and entire economies.

To guide an effective and coordinated response against the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the world community has undertaken a series of Global HIV/AIDS Commitments. These commitments recognize that the scale of the AIDS epidemic requires a global partnership to integrate efforts by national governments, multilateral organizations, the private sector, domestic and international nongovernmental organizations, and affected communities. After the UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on AIDS in June 2001, 189 member states adopted the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS (DoC), pledging to develop and implement multisectoral national strategies and financing plans to control HIV/AIDS.

The DoC reinforces previous commitments on HIV/AIDS, including the UN Millennium Declaration and a range of regional documents that set specific targets and commitments, such as the Abuja Declaration and Framework for Action for the fight against HIV/AIDS, TB, and other related infectious diseases in Africa (April 2001); the Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV/AIDS (February 2001); and the European Union Programme for Action: Accelerated Action on HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and TB (May 2001).

Public Health Watch partners with civil society organizations in Nicaragua, Senegal, Ukraine, the United States, Vietnam and Zambia to monitor and evaluate national efforts to comply with the UNGASS Declaration of Commitment (DoC) and other international and regional HIV/AIDS commitments, with a particular focus on vulnerable and marginalized populations. Public Health Watch reports will also examine international efforts to support HIV/AIDS policy implementation, including by the Global Fund to Stop AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM) and bilateral funding programs such as the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The reports will conclude with concrete recommendations for the improvement of government and international HIV/AIDS policies.

Public Health Watch researchers work from a single reporting methodology, which provides the basis for an in-depth qualitative assessment of national HIV/AIDS policy against international HIV/AIDS standards and commitments. The reports are compiled on the basis of desktop research as well as extensive consultation, interviews, and review by local organizations and health policy actors, including people living with HIV/AIDS. The aim is to produce independent reports that enjoy a high level of consensus among governmental, nongovernmental, and international HIV/AIDS actors, and are thus seen as a constructive contribution to the policymaking process.

Public Health Watch is collaborating with several other organizations monitoring UNGASS implementation, including the International Council of AIDS Service Organizations, World AIDS Campaign , Panos and FUNDAR to press for greater civil society engagement and participation in guiding national and international HIV/AIDS policies. Partner organizations will each produce a set of reports assessing governments' efforts to control HIV/AIDS and coordinate with Public Health Watch in identifying and participating in joint advocacy opportunities.

Public Health Watch reports and those of its partner monitoring organizations will complement and expand upon the official progress reports on DoC implementation produced by governments and by UNAIDS, and will provide the basis for targeted advocacy efforts to support the fulfillment of HIV/AIDS commitments at the national, regional, and international levels.

Please see Monitoring Concept for more background information on Public Health Watch's approach to monitoring.

HIV/AIDS Country Profiles

Public Health Watch is partnering with civil society organizations in Nicaragua, Senegal, Ukraine, the United States, Vietnam and Zambia. More information is available in the 2006 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic on the UNAIDS website.

Nicaragua

Although the 0.2 % adult HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in Nicaragua is lower than in other Central American countries, HIV prevalence rates in select population groups give cause for alarm. For instance, according to UNAIDS, HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men is 9.3%, and HIV prevalence is 4.6% among prisoners in Managua. Mobile populations, particularly migrant workers, and wives of men who engage in risky behaviors, are also at high risk of infection.

http://www.unaids.org/en/Regions_Countries/Countries/nicaragua.asp

In Nicaragua, Public Health Watch is partnering with Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios de la Salud de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua or the Center of Health Research and Studies of the National Independent University of Nicaragua (CIES-UNAN), an academic research institute with the mission to contribute to the improvement of health through capacity building, scientific research and technical assistance, and through direct participation and engagement of civil society in health and health policy. With over 20 years of experience, CIES has expertise in a broad range of health issues, including public policy and health systems; health legislation; public health education; and AIDS and sexually transmitted infections. The lead researcher in Nicaragua is Dr. Miguel Orozco, the Executive Director of CIES-UNAN.

Senegal

The national HIV prevalence rate in Senegal is 1.4%. While this is considerably lower than rates found in southern Africa, HIV prevalence among women attending antenatal clinics (ANC) has been showing signs of a steady increase. For instance, In Dakar, HIV prevalence in ANC rose from 0.5% in 1998 to 0.8% in 2001 to 1.1% in 2002. HIV prevalence rates among marginalized groups are significantly higher than the national average as well: 10% to 30% among sex workers and approximately 20% among men who have sex with men. A clear national policy addressingto address the vulnerability of high-risk groups has yet been articulated.

http://www.unaids.org/en/Regions_Countries/Countries/senegal.asp

Public Health Watch is working with Environnement et Développement du Tiers Monde or Environmental Development Action in the Third World (ENDA), an international non-profit organization founded in 1972 with the primary objective of fighting poverty through the promotion of sustainable development. ENDA has been involved in community capacity building in health for over 18 years, and has been at the forefront of battling HIV/AIDS in Senegal since the formation of the National AIDS Committee in 1988. ENDA is currently implementing an innovative HIV/AIDS program for clandestine sex workers. The lead researcher on the project is Daouda Diouf, the director of the health department at ENDA.

Ukraine

HIV has been spreading rapidly in Ukraine. Between 2001 and 2003, the number of HIV cases increased by 150%. Injecting drug use is the most common form of infection, contributing to over 70% of HIV cases among adults. Sentinel surveillance surveys in 2002 revealed an average HIV prevalence among IDUs of 37.2% and 18.7% prevalence among commercial sex workers. The Ukrainian government strengthened its response to HIV/AIDS in 2004, and adopted a National AIDS Programme for the period 2004-2008.

http://www.unaids.org/en/Regions_Countries/Countries/ukraine.asp

Public Health Watch is working with Andriy Bega of the International Center on Policy Studies (ICPS) in Ukraine. ICPS is an independent research organization with the mandate to promote the concept of public policy and related processes as a guarantee of effective democracy in Ukraine and other post-Soviet countries. Andriy's areas of expertise include capacity building of NGOs to engage more productively in the policymaking process and the prevention of HIV/AIDS.

United States

Nearly one million adults and children are infected with HIV in the United States. Over 80% of those living with HIV/AIDS are male, though an increasing proportion of new infections occur among women. Male-to-male sexual contact accounts for nearly 50% of HIV infections, with injecting drug use and heterosexual contact contributing to approximately 27% and 15% of infections, respectively. Racial and ethnic disparities among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) continue to increase; approximately 60% of PLWHA in the U.S. are African-American or Hispanic.

http://www.unaids.org/en/Regions_Countries/Countries/united_states_of_america.asp

Chris Collins, an independent health policy and communications consultant, is the lead researcher in the U.S. for Public Health Watch. Chris has an extensive background in HIV/AIDS policy and advocacy, with experience in both the U.S. and international contexts. He has served as a senior policy advisor at the International AIDS Society, as a speech writer and consultant at UNAIDS, and as the executive director of AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition. He also worked as an Appropriations Associate for Representative Nancy Pelosi of California.

Vietnam

Vietnam is experiencing a concentrated HIV/AIDS epidemic, with 30% national HIV prevalence among injecting drug users and 6% prevalence among female sex workers, while the national adult prevalence is approximately 0.4%. In some areas, more than 60% of drug users are infected with HIV. The Vietnamese government has recognized the need for a multi-sectoral response to HIV/AIDS, and in March 2004, approved the first five-year National Strategy on HIV Prevention and Control.

http://www.unaids.org/en/Regions_Countries/Countries/viet_nam.asp

Public Health Watch is collaborating with the Institute for Social Development Studies (ISDS) in Vietnam. The mission of ISDS is to contribute to the socioeconomic development of Vietnam through activities in research, training, and consultancy on the country's key social issues, including gender and sexuality; sexual and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS; and social development. The lead researcher on the project is Dr. Khuat Thi Hai Oanh, the director of ISDS' Social Health Department.

Zambia

With a national adult prevalence of about 17%, HIV/AIDS is one of Zambia's most critical developmental and humanitarian challenges. Life expectancy has decreased from 60 years at birth to 37 years, largely as a result of HIV/AIDS. As of 2002, the high mortality rate among adults had increased the number of orphans to about one million. In response to HIV/AIDS, the Zambian government developed a National HIV/AIDS/STI/TB Interventions Strategic Plan in 2002 for the period from 2002-2005. In addition, the government has made a commitment to provide antiretroviral drugs to 100,000 people infected with HIV by the end of 2005 in accordance with the WHO/UNAIDS "3 by 5" Initiative.

http://www.unaids.org/en/Regions_Countries/Countries/zambia.asp

In Zambia, Public Health Watch is partnering with Neo Simutanyi, a lecturer at the University of Zambia, and Kaumbu Mwondela, the chairman and co-founder of Zambia AIDS Law Research and Advocacy Network (ZARAN). Launched in October 2000 as a student organization to address the legal, ethical and human rights issues around HIV/AIDS, ZARAN's principal aim is to champion the rights of people living with and/or affected by HIV/AIDS through advocacy, education, research, and policy development.