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HIV/AIDS

Responding to the epidemic

 

Survey data available indicate that Somalia has multiple HIV epidemics. In the Northwest zone, the
features of HIV prevalence is more generalized with HIV among women attending antenatal care being 1.4% and 1.3% for 2004 and 2007 respectively. HIV infections among transactional sex workers is 5.2%. In Northeast and South Central zones there is concentrated or low level epidemic. HIV among antenatal care attendants is 0.5% in the Northeast regions while in south and central the rate is 0.5%.

Since 2004, Somalia has established the integrated prevention, treatment, care and support services (IPTCS). The first anti-retroviral therapy (ART) clinic was opened in Hargeisa in 2005. As of today, about 20 health facilities across the country provide HIV prevention and treatment service, 6 of them provide ART. Those health facilities assisted so far more than 1000 patients. More than 3600 Somali health workers have been trained on how to make those integrated prevention, treatment, care and support services available. This number contributes to the critical mass to support skilled delivery of HIV/AIDS intervention services for Somalis.

 

WHO Somalia HIV/AIDS programme with the support of Global Fund, has contributed to efforts of health partners to prevent a generalized epidemic of HIV in Somalia. WHO is providing technical support to the implementation of integrated, prevention, treatment, care and support (IPTCS) services to HIV positive clients. This is in addition to continuously building the capacity of health workers in Somalia with skills and knowledge in the various aspects of HIV/AIDS case management.
The programme is faced by a number of challenges that includes stigma, the weaknesses of community-based groups to support ART services, and the low uptake of co-infection patients including children.

WHO will undertake more surveillance studies with focus on identifying the risks of HIV in the country. Integrated biological and behavioral studies and population size estimates for the most-at-risk populations will be conducted to provide and expand the IPTCS services the country. Border areas where there is high mobility among the population will be targeted.

The ART programme will be closely linked to community and household support to alleviate some of the social and economic impact on people living with HIV and in dealing with stigma.

TB/HIV collaborative activities will be strengthened with focus on collection of TB/HIV data that is critical to the advancement of universal access. A joint programme monitoring and evaluation framework will be developed by partners. Capacity building of health workers in the management of medicine supply and rational prescribing and use will continue.

 

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