| – NAPS Programme ManagerWhile keen attention has long been directed to populations at high risk for the Human ImmunodeficiencyNAPS Programme Manager, Dr Shanti SinghVirus (HIV), such as Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) and Commercial Sex Workers (CSW), the Ministry of Health through its National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS) has recently been able to garner and decipher data that suggest that the risk level of the transgender population has reached worrying proportions.This disclosure was made by NAPS Programme Director, Dr Shanti Singh, during an interview with this publication. She amplified in no uncertain terms that the transgender population “is one of the populations that is at greatest risk.”According to the Merriman-Webster dictionary,Cheap Jerseys China, transgender relates to people who have a sexual identity that is not clearly male or female, and further describes it as “a person (as a transsexual or transvestite) who identifies with or expresses a gender identity that differs from the one which corresponds to the person’s sex at birth.”The high risk to HIV faced by the transgender population was observed following the conducting and subsequent availed findings of a Biological and Behavioural Surveillance Survey (BBSS). The findings were disseminated during November of last year, revealing that there continues to be key populations at high risk, including the MSM, CSW and transgender populations.However, the data on the transgender population is relatively new,Jerseys Cheap NFL, as according to Dr Singh “for the first time last year we have concrete data on this population and we are saying that’s one of the populations at greatest risk.”“This year we will continue to work with all of these at-risk populations,” said Dr Singh, as she spoke of plans to intensify efforts to ensure that success is realised in this regard.According to Dr Singh, through a grant from Global Fund, the principal recipient – that is the Ministry of Health – was able to sign sub-recipient agreements with three major sub-recipients. “Previously where we would have had implementation in reaching those key populations at higher risk being limited to a few Regions we have expanded that response to national coverage,” the Programme Manager related. This therefore translates to NAPS being able to garner key population responses from all 10 administrative Regions and in addition to that “we are also working with the miners, the loggers and the adjacent populations to be able to provide prevention, care and support services to these (at risk) populations as well,” said Dr Singh.As part of the efforts to afford care, treatment and support,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, she disclosed, that focus will be trained on the continuance of the provision of access to treatment and services. Guyana has been able to put in place measures to ensure that there is universal access to treatment services. In fact, information suggests that Guyana is one of three countries in the Region that have reported universal access to Antiretroviral treatment, with more than 80 per cent of persons in need being catered to over the course of the past three years.Moreover,China Jerseys Cheap, Dr Singh noted that “we will importantly continue to make sure that all of our patients are on antiretrovirals (ARVs) and we will certainly, as we have done previously,Wholesale Jerseys 2017, ensure that our services are of the highest quality. So quality of care, quality improvement,Cheap Jerseys China, all of those initiatives will continue and be strengthened in this year.”Meanwhile, Dr Singh informed that it is likely that the findings of a HIV Resistance Survey that has been in motion for some time are likely to be made known this year. She is hopeful that the resulting information will be utilised in order to help strengthen the national HIV treatment programme.And this is of immense importance,Jerseys NFL Cheap, as according to the NAPS Programme Manager “treatment is prevention. The treatment programme is just to consolidate a lot of what we have done, because the fact is that the evidence is showing that treatment could work as prevention, so the more persons we have on ARVs the likelihood of transmission will be reduced.” |
