The Ministry of Public Health and Population launched a national survey of HIV impact assessment to measure the impact of prevention services, care and treatment of HIV in Haiti
On June 11, Haiti’s Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) launched an assessment survey that will measure the reach and impact of prevention, care and treatment of HIV in the country. The national survey, which is being administered in collaboration with the Haitian Institute of Childhood (IHE), aims to estimate HIV incidence, prevalence, and the suppression of the virus in adults and children.
Collecting this information is “critical in helping Haiti chart the way forward to meet the 90-90-90 objectives of UNAIDS and finally put the HIV epidemic under control,” said Minister of Public Health and Population Dr. Greta Roy Clement in a release.
The initiative includes technical assistance from ICAP of Columbia University and the American Control Centers for Disease and Prevention to strengthen national data collection systems, improve laboratory infrastructure and build local human resource capacity.
In 2016 there were 150, 000 people living with HIV in Haiti, according to UNAIDS figures. Of that population, about 55 percent had access to antiretroviral therapy.
The survey will “help health authorities and policy makers to better understand the relative impact of HIV on the entire population, not only people living with HIV, but also their families, friends and community.”