What's New

Together We Must! represents an initial effort to draw attention to the knowledge, institutional capacity and resources needed to comprehensively address the intersection between HIV & AIDS and Violence against women and girls (VAWG). It aims to stimulate debate and collaboration among practitioners and advocates around how to identify and promote policies and practices that are effective and can be adapted to various contexts. Of the multiple suggestions that could be drawn from the 'promising practices' profiled here, the report prioritizes five key recommendations.

Facts and Figures on ART in Nepal: 

• Anti‐retroviral treatment started in Nepal in February 2004 from Teku Hospital. 
• Government is providing free of cost ART service for all those in need. 
• There is a National ART Guidelines and SOP for the clinical management of ART in Nepal.

The World Health Organization (WHO) worked on the revision of the Use of antiretroviral drugs for treating pregnant women and preventing hiv infection in infants: recommendations for a public health approach, 2006, through a series of coordinated efforts to review and synthesize emerging evidence. This evidence was assembled following systematic reviews, GRADE profile analysis, consultations with key implementers, cost review, and peer review. The aim was to identify evidence-based recommendations that would be likely to deliver high quality care. The evidence and its quality, risks and benefits, acceptability, feasibility, cost and financial implications, were considered by the Guideline Review Committee and the Peer Review Group, who agreed on a series of updated recommendations.

The guideline Antiretroviral therapy for hiv infection in adults and adolescents, developed by World Health Organization (WHO), was first published in 2002, simplified in 2003 and was updated in 2006. The guideline continues to follow the principles of a public health approach, aiming to optimize outcomes, including the quality of life and survival, of people living with HIV (PLHIV), and to act as a reference tool for countries to adopt and adapt according to their national circumstances. During 2009, WHO has worked to update the guideline through a series of coordinated efforts to review and synthesize emerging evidence on when to initiate antiretroviral therapy (ART), what drug regimens to use, and the management of co-infections and treatment failure. This evidence has been assembled following systematic reviews, GRADE* profile preparation and analysis, consultations with PLHIV, cost and economic impact studies, country-level feasibility assessment, and comparisons of current country guidelines.

By reviewing available data and literature on HIV transmission in intimate partner relationships; understanding the current national response for addressing this emerging epidemic trend; the endeavour was identifying potential programmatic entry-points for preventing HIV transmission in intimate partner relationships.

Facts and Figures about HIV and AIDS Epidemic in Nepal: - The first HIV infection was detected in 1988 in Nepal. Since then HIV and AIDS epidemic has evolved from low‐ to concentrated among High Risk Groups: * Injecting Drug Users,   * Female Sex workers,   * Men having Sex with Men and * Seasonal labour Migrants. -Heterosexual transmission is dominant. -HIV prevalence in general population is <1%

This paper summarises the common issues and challenges for health information systems in Pacific island countries and territories. Pacific participants of two meetings hosted by the Health Information Systems Knowledge Hub in 2009 identified these issues and suggested future actions. These two key events were held in the Pacific region in 2009: a meeting of the Pacific Health Information Network (PHIN) in September in Nadi and a Pacific Health Information Systems Development Forum in November in Brisbane. Both events were designed to create greater knowledge about what is happening within the region, and provide forums to discuss common issues and challenges and learn from relevant local advances. The global agenda and drivers of health information systems were discussed at both meetings to provide a clearer understanding of how Pacific island countries are positioned within the larger international agenda. 

WHO recommendations on infant feeding and HIV were last revised in 2006 (published in 2007 as an HIV and Infant Feeding Update – ISBN 978 92 4 159596 41). Significant programmatic experience and research evidence regarding HIV and infant feeding have accumulated since then. In particular, evidence has been reported that antiretroviral (ARV) interventions to either the HIV-infected mother or HIV-exposed infant can significantly reduce the risk of postnatal transmission of HIV through breastfeeding. This has major implications for how women living with HIV might choose to feed their infants, and how health workers should counsel mothers when making these choices. The potential of ARVs to reduce HIV transmission throughout the period of breastfeeding also highlights the need for guidance on how child health services should communicate information about ARVs to prevent transmission through breastfeeding, and the implications for feeding of HIV exposed infants through the first two years of life.

On 20 November 2009, the global community celebrates the 20th anniversary of the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This unique document outlines universal standards for the care, treatment and protection of all individuals below age 18. It is the most widely endorsed human rights treaty in history, currently ratified by 193 States parties. During the past two decades, the Convention has transformed the way children are viewed and treated throughout the world. It has exerted a pervasive and profound influence on national and international legislation, policy and programmes, public and private institutions, families, communities and individuals. And it has supported marked advances in survival, development, protection and participation across the world.

Faced with a rising HIV epidemic among injecting drug users, harm reduction policies and programs were introduced in Malaysia in 2005. The positive impact seen since the introduction of these programs comprise the inclusion of the health aspects of illicit drug use in the country’s drug policies; better access to antiretroviral therapy for injecting drug users who are HIV infected; reduction in HIV-risk behavior; and greater social benefits, including increased employment. Despite these achievements, tension between law enforcement and public health persists, as harm reduction exists alongside an overall drug policy that is based on abstinence and zero tolerance. Unless there is harmonization of this policy, sustainability and scale-up of harm reduction programs will remain a challenge.