Promoting HIV Prevention among High-Risk Groups via Fieldwork Engagements
In the heart of Astana, Kazakhstan, the HIV Prevention Center plays a critical role in safeguarding key population groups from HIV transmission. These groups, which include men who have sex with men (MSM), people who inject drugs (PWID), sex workers (SW), and transgender individuals, are at an elevated risk of contracting HIV due to certain behaviors.
The prevention of HIV among these groups is a priority public health task that the HIV Prevention Center is diligently addressing. The center operates four trust points (two mobile and two stationary) and two friendly clinics, providing diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) for the aforementioned groups.
A total of 67 outreach workers specializing in PWID, SW, and MSM groups are actively involved. In addition, medical professionals at the center carry out similar preventive and educational work among these key populations. Under the harm reduction program, outreach workers provide free hygiene items, personal protection equipment, and syringes, offer counseling services, and dispel myths regarding HIV and STIs. The outreach workers are former or current members of the groups they serve, allowing them to understand the environment and gain the trust of their communities.
Outreach work is a crucial component of the comprehensive response to the HIV epidemic among these groups. Furthermore, a mobile team from the HIV Center, along with outreach workers, conducts day and night outreach events in areas frequented by these groups, reaching as many individuals as possible and fostering contact for further work.
By March 2025, preventive programs are estimated to cover 32% of MSM, 25.7% of sex workers, and 17.5% of people who inject drugs, thanks to the efforts of outreach workers and trust point employees. This coverage is significant in preventing new HIV cases and encouraging safe behavior among these vulnerable groups.
The HIV Prevention Center's approach encompasses education, stigma reduction, capacity building for healthcare workers, community engagement, and evidence-based research, ensuring that preventive interventions are informed, targeted, and sensitive to the needs of key populations. V.A. BULASHEVA, an Assistant Epidemiologist from the Prevention Department of the HIV Prevention Center, spearheads these efforts in Astana.
The center partners with institutions such as Astana Medical University for operational research, generating locally relevant data on HIV prevalence, coinfections, and intervention effectiveness. These findings inform the development of tailored strategies for key populations, ensuring that interventions are evidence-based and contextually appropriate. The center further emphasizes the importance of integrating services and adopting a multi-sectoral approach, addressing social determinants, mental health, and comprehensive care for key populations.
This comprehensive approach aims to prevent HIV transmission effectively among vulnerable groups by offering targeted, informed, and stigma-sensitive programming.
- To further safeguard the health-and-wellness of key population groups in Astana, Kazakhstan, the HIV Prevention Center focuses on mental-health, sexual-health, and prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in addition to HIV.
- In their collective endeavor to combat the HIV epidemic among vulnerable groups in Astana, the HIV Prevention Center's approach encompasses not only education, stigma reduction, and evidence-based research, but also integrating services for mental-health, a crucial component in maintaining overall health and wellness.
