HIV/TB AIS Activity at International HIV Conferences in 2024

12-7-2024

The HIV/TB Agency, Information and Services (AIS) Activity, and its implementing partners have been implementing innovative HIV service delivery projects in Myanmar, based on internationally recommended best practices. These projects involve innovative service delivery models, which are reviewed to document and learn from the experiences with aim to demonstrate their contribution to improving HIV prevention interventions, HIV testing, and care and treatment services. AIS and its partners also actively share their experiences with international communities at HIV/AIDS conferences.

During 2024, AIS and its partners were selected for several abstracts to be presented at well-known international HIV conferences. Differentiated service delivery of PrEP with key population- led organizations in Myanmar will be presented as an oral presentation at AIDS 2024, the 25th International AIDS Conference, which will take place in Munich, Germany, from 22 to 26 July 2024 whereas in-person poster presentations for

Myanmar’s experience with PWID-centric PrEP access in harm reduction initiatives
Enhancing HIV Self-Testing (HIVST) coverage among diverse communities and future directions in Myanmar: Insights from a Pilot Project (May 2022 – March 2024)
Index testing contributes to escalating HIV case-finding in the AIS project: a successful HIV case-finding model in Myanmar
Role of Social Media Outreach program in engaging key populations for HIV services: Findings from a mixed-method study in Myanmar
Breaking Barriers: A Comprehensive Social Media Campaign Against HIV Discrimination
Reaching unreached PWID through Integration of PWID-centric approaches in hard-to-reach areas in Northern Myanmar
Reducing the incidence of HIV by scaling up interventions for women who use drugs and partners of people who use drugs
Horizontal integration of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services (MHPSS) into HIV care for Key populations (KP) among USAID projects in Myanmar.

Scaling up HIV Self Testing through different distribution channels in Myanmar will be presented as an oral presentation at the 5th HIV Research for Prevention Conference, which will take place in Lima, Peru from 6 to 10 October 2024 including a poster presentation for Qualitative assessment on perceived barriers and facilitators to oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake among men who have sex with men and transgender women in Myanmar.

Enhancing HIV testing access in Myanmar: a review of HIV self-testing (HIVST) pilot project and implementation channels (May 2022 to February 2024) will be presented as a poster presentation at the Australasian HIV&AIDS Conference, 2024 which will be held in Sydney from 16 to 18 September 2024.

Empowering HIV prevention: Strategies to more meaningful engage key population (KP) and community leaders in driving tailored HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) communications in Myanmar was presented as a poster presentation at the Asia-Pacific AIDS & Co-Infections Conference (APACC) 2024 which was being held in Hong Kong from 27 to 29 June 2024.

Strategies unveiled: boosting HIV case findings among young injectors (15-24 years) in hard-to-reach areas of Myanmar through the AIS project: Programmatic review (fiscal year 2022 Q1 – 2024 Q1) will be presented as poster presentation at INHSU, 2024 the 12th International Conference on Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users which will take place in Athens, Greece from 8 to 11 October 2024.

AIS and its implementing partners have a focused learning agenda regarding priority interventions for HIV prevention, care, and treatment activities with objective to innovate, advocate, adopt, and amplify internationally recommended service delivery models and innovations in Myanmar. AIS will gather insights from program implementation experiences, advocate for national-level adoption with stakeholders, and collaborate with policymakers to amplify best practices. This will inform policies and program scale-up in the country, thereby improving access to HIV prevention, care, and treatment services for key populations in Myanmar.

Animated Video: Helping People With HIV Understand Antiretroviral Therapy

The technique uses three “B-OK” bottles containing colored beads that help health care providers to explain to people living with HIV (PLHIV) in easy-to-understand terms about the best time to start antiretroviral therapy (ART) and why, and the importance of staying on it.

One bottle contains red and black beads, a second contains only red beads, and a third contains black beads with a single red bead. Each bottle represents a different state of HIV in the human body.

The bottle of red and black beads symbolizes the moment after an HIV diagnosis when people face critical decisions about starting or delaying ART. It can also represent a person who is unaware that they are HIV-positive.

The bottle of red beads symbolizes the unchecked progression of HIV without treatment.

The bottle of black beads with a single red bead symbolizes viral suppression achieved by starting and adhering to ART.

Health care providers can use this method when counseling of PLHIV about their HIV diagnosis and ART options. It helps to dispel myths and reshape attitudes towards HIV diagnosis and treatment. It simply explains the benefits of starting and continuing on ART to health and reduce the risk of HIV transmission, and helps frame and amplify the concept of “U=U” (Undetectable = Untransmittable).

A new animated video created by the USAID HIV/TB Agency, Information and Services (AIS) Activity helps health care providers in Myanmar guide people living with HIV in their decisions around starting and staying on antiretroviral therapy.

The USAID HIV/TB Agency, Information and Services (AIS) Activity aims to achieve HIV epidemic control by ensuring 95 percent of people living with HIV in Burma are aware of their status, 95 percent of those identified as positive are on antiretroviral treatment, and 95 percent of those on treatment are virally suppressed. It also aims to achieve a Burma free from TB by reaching every person with TB, curing those in need of treatment, and preventing the spread of disease and new infections. It is funded by PEPFAR and the Global Accelerator to End TB through USAID.

World AIDS Day: Photo Contest Highlights Community Engagement in Myanmar’s HIV/AIDS Response

This year, the HIV/TB Agency, Information, and Services (AIS) Activity harnessed the power of social media to launch a series of online initiatives in support of World AIDS Day. Spanning five weeks from mid-November to mid-December, these activities were designed to amplify the World AIDS Day theme of “Let Communities Lead”. The highlight of this year’s events was the World AIDS Day photo contest.

Through the World AIDS Day online photo contest, the AIS Activity encouraged active community participation and documented their key role in the HIV/AIDS response. Stakeholders, including AIS Activity partner organizations, participated by sharing photo contest news on their Facebook pages and displaying posters around client sites.

A distinguished panel of judges reviewed the submitted photographs. Panel member and international award-winning photographer, Aung Chan Thar, expressed his excitement at being involved in judging competition entries and highlighted the significant impact photography can have in raising awareness and uplifting communities. “Photography has always been a useful medium for educating people, so organizing photo contests that promote awareness is truly commendable,” he said. “As a photographer, it’s an honor to know that my work can make an impact on our society. I’m genuinely excited to be part of this photography competition and feel privileged to serve as one of the judges.”

The contest welcomed submissions from photographers with different levels of experience and skill and received entries from all over Myanmar. The diversity of submissions added depth to the documentation of community support in the HIV/AIDS response.

Winners’ Voices

The first prize was awarded to Aye Lwin Oo for his striking photograph containing four panels of posed silhouettes framing key messages around HIV/AIDS. Using a simple technique of a fabric screen and bright light, the panels of Aye Lwin Oo’s photograph include the words “equity”, “respect”, “inclusion” and “hope” as well as references to safer sex and drug use. “I decided to participate in this contest because I recognize the pivotal role of community leadership in addressing HIV/AIDS and the imperative to empower community leaders,” he said.

Through his lens, Aye Lwin Oo advocates for community involvement in ending HIV/AIDS and stigma and promoting regular blood tests for early HIV detection. “It is essential for all community members to understand that HIV/AIDS should not be stigmatized and that those living with the virus should not face exclusion,” he emphasized. “Drawing on my experiences as a photographer and videographer, I have witnessed the positive impact of HIV treatment and the transformative journeys of individuals living with HIV. I see it as my human duty to be actively engaged in such initiatives.”

The second prize was awarded to Thein Htike for his image of cupped hands holding the red ribbon symbolizing World AIDS Day around the word “AIDS”. “The message of my photo is that we must collaborate in our response to HIV/AIDS,” revealed Thein Htike. “The hands symbolize the collective support for those living with HIV/AIDS,” he continued.

The third prize was awarded to Zwel Thu for his photograph of hands surrounding a man wearing the red ribbon. “The message of my photograph is that the whole community including family and friends is crucial in the response to HIV.AIDS,” Zwel Thu explained. “Through the power of collaboration, we can raise awareness and provide assistance, care and encouragement.”

This year’s World AIDS Day campaign is a prime example of the power of community-led activism and advocacy for change. The use of online platforms allows the campaign to reach a larger audience, fostering a sense of global community and solidarity in the HIV/AIDS response. Working together is essential to successfully respond to HIV/AIDS, and World AIDS Day is a good reminder of this. Activating communities is a huge step toward bringing an end to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

The AIS Activity’s campaign activities on World AIDS Day are not merely symbolic; AIS actively promotes awareness of HIV/AIDS and draws attention to the efforts of communities in preventing and treating HIV, and ultimately working towards a world without AIDS. The AIS Activity innovates to scale up HIV services and reach 95-95-95 prevention, testing, and treatment objectives. Despite the challenges created by Myanmar’s political instability, the AIS Activity continues to provide lifesaving HIV- and TB services for key populations at higher risk of HIV infection, with the generous support of PEPFAR and the Global Accelerator to End TB through USAID.

World AIDS Day: Let Communities Lead

To mark World AIDS Day in Myanmar, the HIV/TB Agency, Information, and Services (AIS) Activity supported a campaign to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS, and recognize the essential role that communities play in HIV/AIDS response. A diverse group of stakeholders, including ten HIV partners, actively participated in the AIS Activity’s World AIDS Day campaign.

“We advocate for an effective HIV/AIDS response and show support for those living with HIV.”

World AIDS Day, observed annually on December 1, is a global initiative dedicated to raising awareness about HIV/AIDS, supporting individuals living with HIV, and commemorating those lost to the disease. This year’s theme, “Let Communities Lead,” highlights the significance of community-driven initiatives in addressing HIV/AIDS.

In Yangon, Myanmar’s most populous city, volunteer teams distributed boxes of condoms bearing the World AIDS Day theme and branding, HIV self-testing kits, information pamphlets, and World AIDS Day-themed T-shirts. The volunteers, who are living with HIV themselves, shared key messages about HIV/ AIDS and prevention methods. These activities helped foster awareness about HIV and AIDS within the local communities.

“Celebrating World AIDS Day is a good opportunity for us, the peer community, to spread the message far and wide and extend care for HIV/ AIDS,” commented one volunteer. “We advocate for an effective HIV/AIDS response and show support for those living with HIV. Communities play a pivotal role in HIV control. They are crucial in successfully preventing and treating HIV,” he continued. “Our activities help to reduce the stigma associated with HIV and promote preventive measures among key populations. I am thrilled to take part in the World AIDS Day campaign and promote HIV awareness.”

During the campaign, participants wore red ribbons – a universal symbol of awareness and support for people living with HIV – to foster empathy and challenge the stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS.

“This is not just for one day; it is an ongoing initiative. Together, we can make a difference.”

Young people were also actively engaged in the AIS-sponsored World AIDS Day events in Myitkyina, Kachin State. Through health talks, awareness-raising quizzes, demonstrations, social games and the distribution of HIV information leaflets, young people gained insight about HIV/AIDS.

“It was a remarkable experience being part of the World AIDS Day campaign,” revealed Dr. Pyae Pyae Phyo, program manager of the AIS Activity. “We showed our solidarity with people living with HIV/AIDS and contributed to the elimination of stigma. This not just for one day; it is an ongoing initiative. Together, we can make a difference.”

World AIDS Day: Safer Sex Work

When May*, a female sex worker in Yangon, Myanmar, found out she was HIV positive, she was devastated. Limited awareness of HIV, and the illegality and stigmatization of sex work, puts female sex workers and their clients at greater risk. Research indicates that one in six female sex workers in Yangon is HIV positive.

A community organization in Yangon supported by Community Partners International is working to prevent and treat HIV among female sex workers and their close contacts. They helped May come to terms with her diagnosis and are supporting her to receive free antiretroviral therapy (ART). This support helps her stay healthy and reduces the risk of transmission. Watch our short video below to find out more.

HIV/TB AIS Activity at International HIV Conferences in 2024