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About AHF
Brief epidemiological survey
Our partners
About AHF
For today, AHF is one of the major non-governmental organizations, which, on the basis of
charity, provides HIV prevention and testing, care, treatment and support for HIV-infected
patients in 39 countries worldwide, including Ukraine. The second integral part of AHF’s mission
is advocacy of structural changes, in order to ensure high quality and consistency of services.
More than 890,000 people with HIV use services provided under the auspices of AHF in North and
South America, countries of Asia, Africa and Europe.
AHF work started in Los Angeles on the initiative of a group of people who were directly affected
by the problem of HIV, in the 80s of the last century. They had only one, humanistic, goal: to
give people with AIDS an opportunity to live their last days and leave this world with dignity,
in a safe place, surrounded by care, respect and understanding. AIDS Hospice Foundation was
officially registered in 1987 and over the next year opened Chris Brownlie Hospice, the first
hospice in California which has received an official license to provide assistance for people
with AIDS.
Since the end of the 90s, when HIV treatment became possible, the initiative group has decided
that the need in the provision of health care is much more important than just hospice care. The
organization changed its name to AIDS Healthcare Foundation and focused on providing the best
modern medical care for patients with HIV, regardless of their ability to pay for services.
AHF started its activities in Ukraine in 2009 by supporting ART decentralization in close cooperation with the state health care facilities. In 2020 AIDS Healthcare Foundation-USA in Ukraine provides free health services to over 38 thousand HIV patients in 16 regions of Ukraine. AHF Ukraine implements effective HIV prevention programs by raising awareness of the population, distributing free condoms, providing rapid testing and treating HIV and opportunistic infections.The main advocacy priority of AIDS Healthcare Foundation Ukraine is the implementation of a human-centered approach to testing, treatment, infection prevention and assistance of HIV patients.
AHF Ukraine conducts workshops for professionals who provide assistance to PLHIV to improve the quality of diagnosis, treatment and prevention of HIV / STIs / opportunistic infections.In November 2016, AHF Ukraine opened the first HIV Checkpoint in Eastern Europe in Kyiv. On World AIDS Day 2016, an integrated HIV / TB / OST care site was launched in collaboration with the Kyiv City Health Department. Currently, as part of health care reform, the integrated site has received funding from the state. In December 2017, AHF Ukraine opened a Test& Treat clinic in Odessa in cooperation with the Regional State Administration, where 1,580 patients currently receive integrated patient-centred care. In November 2018, Checkpoint Lviv was opened, on the basis of which AHF Ukraine supports and mobilize the MSM community. Since 2017, AHF Ukraine has introduced the StART Club initiative – a format for meetings of patients and specialists to support the treatment and adaptation of new patients to life with HIV. In 2020 due to COVID 19 quarantine , StART Club was transferred to online mode.
For today, AHF is one of the major non-governmental organizations, which, on the basis of
charity, provides HIV prevention and testing, care, treatment and support for HIV-infected
patients in 39 countries worldwide, including Ukraine. The second integral part of AHF’s mission
is advocacy of structural changes, in order to ensure high quality and consistency of services.
More than 890,000 people with HIV use services provided under the auspices of AHF in North and
South America, countries of Asia, Africa and Europe.
AHF work started in Los Angeles on the initiative of a group of people who were directly affected
by the problem of HIV, in the 80s of the last century. They had only one, humanistic, goal: to
give people with AIDS an opportunity to live their last days and leave this world with dignity,
in a safe place, surrounded by care, respect and understanding. AIDS Hospice Foundation was
officially registered in 1987 and over the next year opened Chris Brownlie Hospice, the first
hospice in California which has received an official license to provide assistance for people
with AIDS.
Since the end of the 90s, when HIV treatment became possible, the initiative group has decided
that the need in the provision of health care is much more important than just hospice care. The
organization changed its name to AIDS Healthcare Foundation and focused on providing the best
modern medical care for patients with HIV, regardless of their ability to pay for services.
AHF started its work in Ukraine in 2009 to support the decentralization of the provision of
antiretroviral treatment in partnership with the state, on the basis on the signed Memorandum.
As at today, AHF supports programs on the improved model of rapid HIV testing, linkage to
treatment services for HIV-seropositive persons, and implementation of a client-oriented
treatment approach, as well as advocacy in Ukraine associated with this.
Within the framework of cooperation with health care institutions of communal and state forms of
ownership, as well as with public associations and organizations, AHF Ukraine supports
activities aimed at expanding access to convenient and simple HIV testing using rapid tests,
free distribution of condoms and information materials on HIV prevention and treatment; linkage
to treatment for seropositive persons and treatment in partnership with state, non-governmental
organizations in order to achieve early detection, early treatment initiation and retention in
treatment.
Brief epidemiological survey
Ukraine ranks second in Eastern Europe and Central Asia in terms of new HIV cases.
The estimated number of people living with HIV in Ukraine is 244,000. As of January 1, 2020, 169,787 people living with HIV were officially registered, 136,105 of whom afe on ART.
According to UNAIDS 2018, the estimated prevalence of HIV among the adult adult population aged 15-49 is 1.0% [0.7% among women and 1.2% among men]. The epidemic is concentrated in the main risk groups, with a prevalence of 22.5% among injecting drug users, 5.2% among sex workers and 7.5% among men who have sex with men (IBBS). 2017).
The share of sexual transmission continues to increase in the structure of HIV transmission routes (65.6% in 2019, compared to 57% in 2014).Most of the newly registered cases of HIV infection afe among people ages 25-49 -84,7% cases
Challenges to controlling the HIV epidemic in Ukraine include: need to improve the regulatory framework, improve HIV surveillance, and increase access of key population groups to high-quality HIV testing services at the level of communities.
The health care reform haved is covered to new challenges: guarantee universal access to HIV prevention, testing and treatment, regardless of the ability to pay for these services.
Clients in AHF Care: 47 637
Clients in AHF care receiving ART: 41 528
People living with HIV (officially registered) 169 787
Ukraine: Estimates
People living with HIV – 240 000 *
Adults 15-49 prevalence rate: 1% ([0.7% among women and 1.2% among man) *
Adults 15+ living with HIV: 240 000 *
Women 15+ living with HIV:86 000 *
Orphans (0-17) due to AIDS: 61 000 *
* Averages, UNAIDS 2018 estimates
SOURCES:
UNAIDS
Public Health Center by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine
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