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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Fernando Zacarias, MD, DrPH, Division of Disease Prevention and Control, Pan American Health Organization, 525 23rd Street NW, Washington, DC, DC 20037, (202) 974-3842, zacariaf@paho.org
Response to HIV/AIDS in the Region of the Americas
As in many epidemics, response to HIV/AIDS has followed a pattern of awareness, scientific discovery, technology development, and community engagement. Epidemiological surveillance and preventive interventions have been the cornerstone of the struggle against HIV/AIDS since the problem emerged in the Americas in the early 1980s. Since 1983, PAHO collaborated in the formulation of national responses and plans and by 1994, programmatic responses were firmly established and the first achievements in preventing blood-borne transmission of HIV were documented. In 1996, when highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) for HIV became available, community pressure induced more and more governments to develop efforts to accelerate access to ARV drugs. Although Brazil has shown in a rather dramatic way that a combination of treatment and preventive interventions in a developing country is possible, in most nations of Latin America and the Caribbean the necessary infrastructure and/or functional linkages to provide high quality prevention and care services are yet to be established. To address this need PAHO has developed the Building Blocks model, a strategy that combines standards of care at the community, household, and health service levels, with the necessary preventive approaches. Furthermore, a regional protocol for ARV treatment has been established to serve as the basis for standardizing initial treatment and to facilitate acquisition of ARV drugs. Fernando Zacarias, MD, Dr PH, Division of Disease Prevention and Control, Pan American Health Organization, 525 23rd Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant will be able to
Keywords: HIV/AIDS, International Public Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.