What's New

In January 2012, there were 212 new HIV Ab seropositive individuals confirmed by the STD/AIDS Cooperative Central Laboratory (SACCL) and reported to the HIV and AIDS Registry (Table 1). This was 39% higher compared to the same period last year (n=152 in 2011) [Figure 1].

This report provides biological and behavioral information on HIV among mine workers in Balochistan from a survey conducted in September 2011 in the mining areas of Muslim Bagh, Sorange and Mach. The purpose of the study was to collect, analyze and disseminate accurate information on the prevalence of key risk behaviors and of HIV among mine workers to deliver sustained and effective HIV prevention, treatment care and support services.

Gender-based violence (GBV) is under-reported and under-researched in Vietnam (Gardsbane et al. 2010). Several small-scale studies revealed that the prevalence of GBV in Vietnam ranges widely from 16 to 37 percent for physical violence, and 19 to 55 percent for emotional violence, while sexual violence and sexual harassment are rarely reported (Jonzon et al. 2007; Nguyen 2006; Vu et al. 1999). A 2006 national survey with 9,300 households reported that in the preceding 12 months, 21.2 percent of families had reported at least one of the three forms of violence (physical, verbal, coerced sex); husbands were the most frequent perpetrators (Huong 2008). In everyday life, verbal abuse, slapping, and coerced or forced sex are often not considered violence in Vietnam (United Nations Population Fund [UNFPA] 2007).

This Project Briefing explores the experiences of these people as they migrate, drawing on findings from a baseline study on their vulnerabilities, particularly to HIV and AIDS, as they move between their communities of origin in Nepal and Bangladesh to India. Although the baseline used quantitative and qualitative approaches, stories of harassment and violence emerge mostly from the qualitative elements.

The epidemiology of HIV infection in the Philippines has shifted dramatically in the last five years. A combination of increased risk behavior among young Filipinos, low levels of knowledge regarding HIV transmission and prevention, and underfunded HIV prevention and treatment programs may have led to a rapid rise in HIV incidence and prevalence. Much of the increase in HIV transmission appears to have occurred among young men who have sex with men (MSM) and persons who use intravenous drugs (PWID) in major urban centers.

In December 2011, there were 268 new HIV Ab seropositive individuals confirmed by the STD/AIDS Cooperative Central Laboratory (SACCL) and reported to the HIV and AIDS Registry (Table 1). This was 54% higher compared to the same period last year (n=174 in 2010) [Figure 1]. This increased the total number of cases to 2,349 for 2011.

This document is an in-depth analysis of the data on the MSM population generated by the 2009 Integrated HIV Behavioral and Serologic Surveillance System (IHBSS). IHBSS is a biennial study of the Department of Health to collect, analyze, and interpret data on HIV and AIDS in 20 selected sites across the country. Blood samples were taken from the respondents, and the serologic result for each of them was then matched with the behavioral survey they have completed using an identification number assigned to them.

The United Nations (UN) will support national priorities by offering assistance in developing capacities required to achieve the goals and commitments embodied in the PDP and in the various international covenants the GPH is party to. The UN will work in close collaboration with development/donor partners and stakeholders, making full use of its comparative advantages as advocate for the poor and vulnerable, as honest broker, as repository of global best practices and as enabler. UN cooperation will have equity, localisation, institution-building and governance as its strategic emphases and will be anchored on the principles of human rights, gender equality, environmental sustainability, culture and development. Capacity development will be the central thrust and main benefit of UN cooperation.

The fourth round of the Integrated Biological and Behavioral Surveillance (IBBS) surveys among female sex workers (FSWs) covered a sample of 938 respondents in Kathmandu Valley – Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts and Pokhara Valley. The surveys are primarily designed to track the trends in the prevalence of HIV and syphilis infection among FSWs in these selected locations and to assess their sexual and other risk behaviors related to HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STI).

The fifth round of Integrated Biological and Behavioral Surveillance (IBBS) surveys among male injecting drug users (IDUs) covered a sample of 685 respondents in Kathmandu Valley and Pokhara Valley. The surveys were carried out primarily to track the trends in the prevalence of HIV and syphilis infection among male IDUs and to assess their sexual and injecting behaviors.