In six months, the number of people taking pre-contact HIV prevention (PCP) in Kazakhstan has increased by 1,000%. The country is showing an impressive pace of implementation of the latest method of preventing the spread of the disease among population groups that have a high risk of infection.
“In November 2022, the number of people taking pre-contact prophylaxis in Kazakhstan was about 200 people, but six months later this number increased to 2,000 people (June 2023),” says Mykola Lunchenkov, infectious disease doctor, health coordinator I am LGBT people in the Eurasian Coalition for Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity (ECOM). — It is important that without widespread use of DCP it is impossible to achieve the “95-95-95” goals adopted by the United Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in the field of HIV testing, treatment and suppression of viral load in people living with HIV “.
Mykola Lunchenkov notes three key success factors:
- Joint actions of public and non-profit organizations in the field of health care, which are aimed at ensuring maximum access to DKP in Kazakhstan.
- The pilot project “Almaty Model for Controlling the HIV Epidemic”, supported by the Elton John AIDS Foundation, demonstrated the successful experience of partnership between state organizations and NGOs. This model of cooperation can be implemented and expanded within the country.
- Pre-contact prevention is fully financed by the state.
“The interaction between officials in the Ministry of Health and doctors and staff of non-profit organizations and community organizations leads to the effective functioning of the program, reaching an increasing number of people who need such prevention. We, at ECOM, understanding the importance of this tool in the fight against HIV, together with our partners, systematically conduct education and training on the use of PPE, and together with partners, last year we created a resource center for pre-contact prevention in Central Asia, where people can exchange experiences and best practices, to have access to the database of informational materials,” says Mykola Lunchenkov.