LocationsTaking HIV Prevention on the Road
December 2, 2024
Three new mobile stations.
UNDP in Belarus donated three minibuses to the Republican Scientific and Practical Center of Medical Technologies, Informatization, Management and Economics of Public Health. The vehicles will serve as mobile HIV prevention units.
The initiative is part of the project “Strengthening of HIV and TB national systems of prevention, treatment, care and support in the Republic of Belarus - Phase 2”, funded by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Services are delivered through 57 fixed sites and 17 mobile units across the country.
The mobile units provide HIV counseling and testing, as well as a basic package of prevention services in areas lacking stationary facilities.
The Positive Movement NGO ensures access to antiretroviral therapy and implements HIV prevention initiatives in recreational spaces for young people engaged in risky behaviors.
Stanislav Kukushkin, an addiction psychiatrist and manager of mobile PD stations, explains that the stations operate in locations where young people gather for rave parties and may be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, increasing the risk of HIV infection.
"On the way to the rave, we offer voluntary and anonymous HIV testing, typically testing 25 to 40 people per evening". Stanislav Kukushkin.
"Since the initiative began, several cases of HIV have been detected. Our organization runs a social support center for those newly diagnosed with HIV. We assist them in registering for treatment and starting antiretroviral therapy (ART). We support individuals until they achieve an undetectable viral load and provide psychological services. For those with drug-related issues, we offer counseling and rehabilitation support," Kukushkin said.
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