Library HIV/AIDS

“We can empower young people to protect themselves from HIV” (UNAIDS) 2010

More than half of all sexually transmitted infections, other than HIV, (more than 180 million out of a global annual total of 340 million) occur among young people aged 15 to 24. Yet most young people still have no access to sexual and reproductive health programmes that provide the information, skills, services, commodities, and social support they need to prevent HIV. In fact, many laws and policies go as far as to exclude young people from accessing sexual health and HIV-related services, such as HIV testing and counselling, the provision of condoms, and age-appropriate sexuality and HIV prevention education.To read the report, please visit here

 

“IMAI one-day orientation on adolescents living with HIV” (WHO) 2010 

The number of adolescents living with HIV is increasing with improvements in access to treatment for children who are infected perinatally, and as more adolescents who acquire HIV during adolescence learn about their status as a result of better access to HIV testing. Many countries are now facing the challenges posed by adolescents living with HIV, and health workers are looking for guidance and support to enable them to strengthen their response to providing treatment, care, support and prevention for these adolescents. WHO has already pioneered training for health workers to respond to the many needs of people living with HIV, through the IMAI programme. The Facilitators guide, Participant manual and Wall chart that comprise the new adolescent module have been specifically developed to be incorporated into existing IMAI training programmes, with the aim of strengthening the capacity of health workers to respond more effectively to the needs of adolescents living with HIV.

For more information, please visit here

 

“Traditional male circumcision among young people -A public health perspective in the context of HIV prevention” (WHO) 2009

Male circumcision is now recommended as a key component of comprehensive HIV prevention strategies to prevent the heterosexual transmission of HIV from women to men in countries where HIV prevalence is high and male circumcision rates are low (predominantly countries in East and Southern Africa). In many of these countries, traditional male circumcision is already taking place in some communities, usually performed on adolescent boys as a rite of passage into manhood. This review provides a synthesis of the available literature on the prevalence, techniques and complications associated with traditional male circumcision, and the implications for HIV prevention. Based on these findings, recommendations are made for strengthening communication and collaboration between the health sector and traditional circumcisers in order to improve the safety and effectiveness of traditional male circumcision for HIV prevention, and as an entry point for improving the sexual and reproductive health of adolescent boys more generally. To read the review, please visit here

 

“A qualitative review of psychosocial support interventions for young people living with HIV” (WHO) 2009

The provision of psychosocial support to young people living with HIV was highlighted as a key area requiring development by the 2006 WHO/UNICEF global consultation on strengthening the health sector response to young people living with HIV. This review summarizes the results of a questionnaire that was sent to over 80 organizations involved with providing psychosocial support to young people living with HIV, both those young people that acquired HIV perinatally and those that acquired HIV during adolescence. To read the review, please visit here

 

“Global Guidance Briefs on HIV interventions for young people” (WHO) 2008

A series of seven Guidance Briefs has been developed by the Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) on HIV and Young People. Membership of the IATT includes UNAIDS, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNODC, ILO, WFP, WHO, and the World Bank, along with a growing number of youth networks/associations, donors, civil society, and research institutions. The Briefs comprise one Brief that provides a global overview and is complemented by a separate Brief for most-at-risk young people and five others on HIV interventions among young people provided through different settings/sectors — community, education, health, humanitarian emergencies and the workplace. Each Brief has suggested actions to take at country level and additional resource materials listed. This package of seven Guidance Briefs, based on the latest global evidence, is intended to help United Nations Country Teams and UN Theme Groups on AIDS to provide guidance to their staff members as well as governments, development partners, civil society and other implementing partners on the specific actions that need to be in place to respond effectively to HIV among young people. To read the briefs, please visit here

 

“Strengthening the health sector response to care, support, treatment and prevention for young people living with HIV” (WHO) 2008

There are more than five million young people living with HIV today. This number is likely to increase as more children who acquire HIV perinatally survive into adolescence as a result of increasing access to treatment and care, and as more young people who acquire HIV during adolescence learn about their HIV status with the increasing availability of HIV testing and counseling. This is the report from a global consultation that WHO and UNICEF organized in November 2006. It brought together service providers and young people in order to explore the specific needs of young people living with HIV, identify the challenges that they face in accessing treatment, care, support and prevention services, and outline priorities for action to help strengthen the health sector response to meeting their needs more effectively. To read the report, please visit here

 

“More Positive Living” (WHO) 2008

In 2007 there were an estimated 5.4 million young people 15-24 years old, and an unknown number of 10-14 year olds, living with HIV. As access to treatment improves more and more, children who were infected with HIV during the neonatal period are surviving into adolescence. At the same time, unless there is significant scale-up of effective prevention programmes, young people will continue to become infected. “More Positive Living: strengthening the health sector response to young people living with HIV”  is based on the outcome of a WHO/UNICEF consultation that brought together service providers, programmers and young people living with HIV to highlight the special needs of young people living with HIV, and to develop consensus about priority activities for the health sector to meet these needs. The publication is intended for a wide audience, including policy makers and programme staff, and provides an overview of the challenges confronting young people living with HIV and clear recommendations for ways to improve treatment, care, support and prevention services for them. To read the publication, please visit here

 

“Change, Choice and Power: Young Women, Livelihoods and HIV Prevention Literature Review and Case Study Analysis” (UNFPA, IPPF) 2007
The urgency of addressing the vulnerability of young women and adolescent girls of all backgrounds, but particularly the poor, cannot be over stated. Innovative, far-reaching and rapid responses are needed to impact whole generations so that the Millennium Development Goals to reduce poverty can be within reach. This paper sets out to explore the relationship between economic independence, vulnerability to HIV infection, the level of sexual and reproductive health among women and adolescent girls, and gender-based violence. To read the publication please visit here 

 

“Preventing HIV/AIDS in Young People-A Systematic Review of the Evidence from Developing Countries” (WHO) 2006

This book can provide a basis for evidence-informed programming and policies for youth. It offers a systematic review of the accumulated evidence, from two decades of programming, for the effectiveness of interventions to prevent the spread of HIV among young people in developing countries. Using a standard methodology, authors reviewed the evidence from 80 studies of interventions delivered that reach young people. To read the publication, please visit here

 

“Protecting young people from HIV and AIDS” (WHO) 2004

The publication provides an overview of the evidence on health service interventions that are important for achieving the global goals on young people and HIV/AIDS: information and counselling; reducing risk through condoms and harm reduction; and the diagnosis, treatment and care of STIs and HIV/AIDS. In addition, it describes key strategies for delivering these interventions, outlines the quality characteristics of effective health services for young people, and identifies issues that will need to be taken into consideration when developing national targets for measuring progress towards achieving the goals. To read the publication, please visit here

 

“Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers: Do they matter for children and young people made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS?” (UNICEF) 2004

Focusing on four priority areas of HIV/AIDS intervention, this UNICEF/World Bank desk review assesses how HIV/AIDS is being addressed in sub-Saharan Africa’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers and National Strategic HIV/AIDS Plans. It concludes that few countries have the factors necessary for their successful implementation, and that overall, key global goal and commitments related to HIV/AIDS have not been systematically reflected. Recognizing the inherent limitations of a desk review, the report outlines challenges to ensuring PRSPs’ relevance to AIDS-affected children and young people and recommends follow-up field study. To read the publication, please visit here

 

“Preventing HIV/AIDS among Adolescents through Integrated Communication Programming” (UNFPA) 2003

Preventing HIV/AIDS among adolescents is a challenging task that touches upon several controversial policy and cultural issues. Nevertheless, it is an absolutely crucial task, as more and more young people are being infected with the deadly virus each day. As several countries have shown, effective prevention programming includes integrating advocacy, behaviour change communication and educational strategies with other policy and service components. This manual focuses on HIV prevention throughintegrated communication programming that blends advocacy, behaviour change communication and education interventions. For more information, please visit here

Preventing HIV and Unintended Pregnancies: Strategic Framework 2011 – 2015 (UNFPA) 2012 

This strategic framework supports, the ‘Global Plan towards the Elimination of New HIV Infections among Children by 2015 and Keeping their Mothers Alive’. It offers guidance for preventing HIV infections and unintended pregnancies – both essential strategies for improving maternal and child health, and eliminating new paediatric HIV infections. This framework should be used in conjunction with other related guidance that together addresses all four prongs of eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV. This document focuses on strengthening rights-based polices and programming within health services and the community.

http://www.unfpa.org/webdav/site/global/shared/documents/publications/2012/V2_web_P1P2_framework%2022.8.12.pdf

 

Securing the Future Today Synthesis of Strategic Information on HIV and Young People (UNFPA) 2011

This report shows that global commitments to reverse the AIDS epidemic will be achieved only if the unique needs of young women and men are acknowledged, and their human rights fulfilled, respected, and protected. In order to reduce new HIV infections among young people, achieve the broader equity goals set out in the MDGs, and begin to reverse the overall HIV epidemic, HIV prevention and treatment efforts must be tailored to the specific needs of young people. The legal and policy barriers that prevent young people from accessing HIV services must be addressed, and young people should be engaged more effectively in the response

http://www.unfpa.org/webdav/site/global/shared/documents/publications/2011/SecuringtheFuture.pdf

 

Opportunity in Crisis Preventing HIV from early adolescence to early adulthood (UNICEF, UNAIDS, UNESCO, UNFPA, ILO, WHO, the World Bank) 2011

This report contains important new data about why young people are key to defeating the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, including results from more than 60 new national surveys. It reaffirms that we must accord top priority to making investments in the well-being of young people and to engaging them in the fight against HIV and AIDS.

More than two decades into the epidemic, the vast majority of young people remain uninformed about sex and sexually transmitted infections. Although a majority have heard of AIDS, many do not know how HIV is spread and do not believe they are at risk. Those young people who do know something about HIV often do not protect themselves because they lack the skills, the support or the means to adopt safe behaviours.

Nonetheless, in areas where the spread of HIV/AIDS is subsiding or even declining, it is primarily because young men and women are being given the tools and the incentives to adopt safe behaviours. Young people have demonstrated that they are capable of making responsible choices to protect themselves when provided such support, and that they can educate and motivate others to make safe choices.

http://www.unfpa.org/webdav/site/global/shared/documents/publications/2011/Opportunity_in_Crisis.pdf

 

HIV Prevention Gains Momentum Success in Female Condom Programming

This report examines a number of success stories in the fight against HIV. Examples come from countries such as Zimbabwe, Myanmar, Nigeria and the Caribbean region. These countries’ governments, civil societies and the private sector have united to educate the public and to empower individuals, especially women, to insist on their right to protect their health through correct and consistent condom use.

http://www.unfpa.org/webdav/site/global/shared/documents/publications/2011/MomentumPDFforWeb.pdf

 

Situation Assessment of the HIV Response among Young People in Zambia (UNAIDS), 2011

The main objective of this situational assessment is to compile and synthesize existing recent information on HIV and young people together with the current AIDS response for young people in Zambia, including programmes, policies, and key partners, and to document gaps and challenges in the response. In this document young people refers to individuals aged 10 to 24 years.

http://www.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/documents/document/2012/20120420_Zambia_YouthAssessment_en.pdf

 

Transforming the National AIDS Response (UN-Women) 2012 

This resource guide provides examples of national strategies, from transforming national and local institutions in order to break through the silence and stigma that surround AIDS and HIV, to working with communities to change attitudes and behaviours that facilitate its spread. They show what can be done when women and men living with HIV are engaged and empowered to make their needs heard and to help design solutions.

http://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2012/1/transforming-the-national-aids-response#sthash.MxP6F9QZ.dpuf

 

World AIDS Day Report (UNAIDS) 2012 

The report highlights the results of the AIDS response and shows that there is an accelerating result as there were more than 700 000 fewer new HIV infections globally in 2011 than in 2001. Africa has cut AIDS-related deaths by one third in the past six years.

http://www.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/documents/epidemiology/2012/gr2012/JC2434_WorldAIDSday_results_en.pdf