PEPFAR – 20 years old!

November 17, 2023

PEPFAR celebrates its 20th anniversary. #PEPFAR is the US President's emergency plan to fight AIDS, it was first announced in 2003.

Over the years, thanks to the Plan, it has been possible to significantly change the situation in the field of HIV prevention in the world. Since 2003, the U.S. Government has invested $50 million to support Kazakhstan's fight against HIV through the PEPFAR program.

Over the past 20 years, thanks to innovations supported by PEPFAR,:
- The country's first HIV surveillance (2002),
- development of the first electronic HIV case management system in Kazakhstan (2010),
- self-testing (2018),
- and pre-contact prevention (2021). Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) support PEPFAR-funded HIV programs in Pavlodar and East Kazakhstan oblasts.

- Over the years, the provision of antiretroviral therapy to people living with HIV has dramatically improved, which is now available immediately after diagnosis. Various forms of testing have been implemented. As a result of anti-epidemic measures, Kazakhstan is in a concentrated stage of the HIV epidemic (0.2% of the population with a global average of 1.1%). As part of the implementation of the goal of the UN Political Declaration of 2021 and the goals of UNAIDS 95-95-95 in Kazakhstan, 87 percent of people living with HIV are aware of their HIV status, 87 percent of them are taking ART, 89 percent have a reduced viral load, said A.Abishev, Deputy Director of the CDC, at the meeting.

The meeting with representatives of state, international, and non-governmental organizations was organized by the #USAID representative office in Kazakhstan. The participants unanimously noted that the achievements were the result of joint effective activities. Over the past year alone, the number of NGOs working with key population groups has increased from 5 to 14 in the country.

The US Consul General in Almaty, Ms. Michelle Yerkin, and the USAID Regional Director for Central Asia, Mr. Luis Riviera, warmly welcomed the Kazakhstanis, thanked them for their joint cooperation, successes in combating HIV, and also presented certificates of appreciation.

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