The USAID HIV Flagship Project aims to reduce new HIV infections and HIV-related deaths in Central Asian countries. It works to increase the use of high-quality HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care services by target groups.

Duration: December 2015 – December 2020

Budget: $21 mln (for Central Asia)

Implementing Partner: Population Services International

Key Partners: Ministry of Health, Republican and Regional AIDS centers, Family Medicine Centers. 

Activity Locations: Chuy oblast, including Bishkek City, Sokuluk and Issyk Ata rayons; Osh, including Osh City, Kara-suu and Nookat rayons.

MAJOR FOCUS AREAS

The project broadly follows the UNAIDS ambitious 90-90-90 strategy, aiming to ensure 90% of people with HIV are diagnosed, 90% of those are on anti-retroviral treatment (ART), and 90% of those are virally suppressed by 2020.

The project will work with target communities to identify new HIV cases using evidence-based strategies and follow them up to ensuring the key populations (KPs) are fully partaking of HIV services along the HIV prevention, care and treatment cascade.

IMPACT AND RESULTS

• In the first four years, the project contributed to finding 817 new HIV cases, which is approximately 29% (out of 2,834) of all new cases identified in the Country for the same period. The project also helped to getting back on treatment 678 cases that were lost previously due to various reasons.
• Within the same time, 1,633 PLHIV started receiving antiretroviral therapy to improve quality of their life and reduce further HIV transmission. USAID supported community-based organizations so that they can help these people adhere to their life-long treatment.
• All people living with HIV reached by the project are screened for tuberculosis and escorted to treatment if necessary. Most of the people living with HIV die from other diseases like tuberculosis and that’s why it’s critical to screen and treat them whenever possible.
• Testing for HIV is the key to fighting the epidemic. The more cases we find and put on treatment – the better. That’s it’s important to make tests easily available and disseminate as widely as possible. The project trained four NGOs so that they can find new cases by doing blood and oral fluid tests themselves. These NGOs also manage these new cases by helping the patients stay on treatment. The project also introduced HIV self-testing so that people at risk of getting the infection (people who inject drugs or partners of people living with HIV) can regularly test themselves.
• Key populations like people who inject drugs or men having sex with men often refuse to contact medical professionals due to stigma and discrimination they face. The project works with representatives of these communities, peer navigators, to reach the hidden groups and provide support to PLHIV. Moreover, the Project works with health providers and civil society organizations on reducing stigma and discrimination against PLHIV and through peer counselling and education sessions motivate PLHIV to start lifesaving anti-retroviral therapy and stay adhered to treatment.