BACKGROUND
In recent years, Zambia has made significant progress in moving towards HIV epidemic control; however, some groups are still disproportionately impacted by HIV. The USAID Controlling HIV Epidemic for Key and Underserved Populations I activity aims to improve the health of Zambians by preventing new infections among priority and key populations most at risk of acquiring HIV, including men who have sex with men, persons who inject drugs, sex workers, transgender persons, adolescents and young people aged 10 - 24, discordant couples (where one partner is HIV positive and one is not), and men aged 25 - 34. The project also supports people living with HIV and provides services to help with diagnosis, treatment, and sustaining viral suppression. The activity works in Solwezi district in North-Western province, Lusaka district in Lusaka Province, Livingstone district in Southern Province and seven focus districts in Copperbelt Province.
GOALS
GOAL ONE
- Identify individuals at high risk of HIV infection and connect them with high-impact HIV prevention services such as HIV counseling and testing, pre-exposure prophylaxis (HIV prevention medication), and condoms.
GOAL TWO
- Identify and link people living with HIV to HIV treatment and care services to support epidemic control.
GOAL THREE
- Provide communities with the knowledge and skills to implement community-driven interventions to address the root causes of the HIV epidemic such as early sexual debut (age of first sexual activity), sexual and gender-based violence, and poverty.
GOAL FOUR
- Build the skills and knowledge of local implementing partners to provide targeted, evidence-based HIV prevention services.
KEY RESULTS FOR 2023
- Nearly 350,000 individuals from priority populations and 32,000 key populations were reached with high-impact HIV prevention services such as HIV counseling and testing, pre-exposure prophylaxis (HIV prevention medication), and condoms.
- Over 121,000 individuals from target population groups were tested for HIV, of which more than 10,300 were identified HIV-positive and immediately linked to treatment.
- Over 174,600 adolescent girls and young women enrolled in the HIV prevention program, Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored, Safe (DREAMS).
- Almost 17,000 adolescent girls and young women were initiated on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a medicine to prevent HIV.
