Publications on People Living With HIV (PLHIV)

A participatory research tool was developed collaboratively by Dristi Nepal (hereafter ‘Dristi’), and ITPC to capture and assess the impact of Covid-19. The qualitative survey tool used images and emoticons to encourage participants, regardless of literacy, to relate their experiences of healthcare services as people living with HIV, and to rank their government’s actions on health provisions and human rights both prior to and during the Covid-19 pandemic. Every component of the tool’s development and implementation was collaborative, from the formulation of indicators, to its inclusive design and analysis of findings.

UNAIDS calls on governments to live up to their 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development commitment to leave no one behind by strengthening social protection systems, including the set of minimum standards known as “floors”, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and by enhancing the responsiveness of social protection systems to people’s basic and changing needs and vulnerabilities—in particular for people living with, at risk of and affected by HIV, including key populations and young people, women and girls, people living with disabilities, refugees, asylum seekers, migrants and populations in a state of food insecurity or malnourishment and in humanitarian settings. These groups of people are among the high-risk populations for COVID-19 and are especially vulnerable to economic, spatial and social inequalities and disruptions in the provision of, and effective access to, basic services and social assistance.

Part of the ILO series on leaving no one behind in COVID-19 and the world of work, this brief describes the impact of the pandemic on people living with HIV and makes recommendations for a COVID-19 response and recovery in the world of work that is inclusive of people living with HIV.

The main purpose of this guidance is to provide recommendations for preventing COVID-19 cross infection among beneficiaries and staff involved in the implementation of food and nutrition assistance for PLHIV and TB clients, while ensuring the continuity of food and nutrition assistance to PLHIV and TB, introducing adaptations where appropriate. Implementation of these recommendations should be done in alignment with country-specific guidance from national government.

UNAIDS is calling on countries to adopt a human rights-based approach in responding to the global outbreak of COVID-19 that puts communities at the centre and respects the rights and dignity of all. To help guide governments, communities and other stakeholders in planning and implementing measures to contain the pandemic, UNAIDS has produced a new guidance document that draws on key lessons from the response to the HIV epidemic: Rights in the time of COVID-19: lessons from HIV for an effective, community-led response. 

COVID-19 is a serious disease and all people living with HIV should take all recommended preventive measures to minimize exposure to, and prevent infection by, the virus that causes COVID-19. It’s important to underline that there is currently no strong evidence that people living with HIV are at an especially increased risk of contracting COVID-19 or if they do contract it they will experience a worse outcome. This does not mean that people living with HIV should take COVID-19 lightly and they must take all precautions to protect themselves.

The rise in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the greatest threats to global health. If it is not urgently addressed, it may result in millions of deaths, an increase in new and hard-to-treat infections and increased health-care costs. As a result, combatting AMR, including the threat posed by drug-resistant HIV, is a major goal for the global community.

Fiji Country Card Snapshots provide quick overview data on new HIV infection trends, prevalence, treatment cascades, PMTCT, behavior and response, AIDS financing, stigma index, and punitive laws.

Viet Nam Country Card Snapshots provide quick overview data on new HIV infection trends, prevalence, treatment cascades, PMTCT, behavior and response, AIDS financing, stigma index, and punitive laws.

Nepal Country Card Snapshots provide quick overview data on new HIV infection trends, prevalence, treatment cascades, PMTCT, behavior and response, AIDS financing, stigma index, and punitive laws.