WHO is launching “TRACK”, a new digital learning series for capacity building and knowledge sharing on advanced HIV disease (AHD), beginning on 14 June 2023.
AHD is a persistent challenge to HIV programmes in many countries worldwide, particularly in high HIV burden countries, and is an important cause of mortality among people living with HIV, responsible for approximately 650 000 deaths in 2021.
AHD is defined as people living with HIV with a CD4 cell count <200cells/mm3, as well as all children living with HIV below the age of 5 years. People with AHD have significantly higher rates of AIDS-related complications which includes tuberculosis, cryptococcal meningitis, histoplasmosis, and severe bacterial infections. WHO currently recommends a package of care for the management of AHD which includes screening, diagnosis, prophylaxis, and enhanced adherence counselling for all individuals with AHD.
Owing to the complexity in scale-up of AHD services and clinical management, we recognize the need to create a digital platform to enable and promote the sharing of knowledge and best practices, linking to resources and supporting a community of practice that promotes intra- regional collaboration. This digital learning series offers a specific focus on the WHO AFRO region but remains relevant for other WHO regions.
Importance of capacity building in settings of high burden of HIV
The WHO Global health sector strategy (2022- 2030) for HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections refers to the importance of people-centred care as well as a focus on reducing AIDS-related deaths and advanced HIV disease. One of WHO’s key activities is to promote uptake of the WHO guidelines and policy briefs on advanced HIV disease in adults and children and ensure that its impact is measurable.
This digital learning series will include webinars and case-based ECHO virtual communities of practice (vCOPs). The aim is to promote the sharing of knowledge and best practices and strengthening of networks of healthcare workers, policy makers and civil society organisations. The digital platform will serve as gateway for learning, experience sharing and collaborative problem solving, and will contribute to the establishment of a communities of practice at the regional level, with a focus on high burden HIV countries particularly in the WHO African Region. This will also help further strengthen existing technical working groups (TWGs) within some countries, promote establishment of new TWGs in others, and raise the overall importance of a public health response for AHD. Additionally, this will help countries as a collective (ministries, healthcare workers, civil society organizations ) to be optimally informed during key stakeholder meetings – such as during Global Fund application cycles, the PEPFAR COP meetings, as well as in the development of national strategic plans for HIV.
Digital learning series
This digital learning series is an integral part of a broader WHO response, in collaboration with partners, for AHD activities that will include in-person workshops, development of AHD-related disease estimates, creation of an AHD innovation pipeline for prioritisation, considerations for ART in the context of AHD, broadening the role of palliative care in management of AHD, as well as considerations for the update of the guidelines for AHD in 2024. In addition to presentations from global subject matter experts on certain ‘hot topics’, there will also be case-based learning and discussions. This digital learning series will thus present an opportunity to link the audience to emerging areas of work in AHD.
The series will have a run of 4 digital learning events in 2023. Weblinks for the events will be updated closer to the date of the event. You may register in advance for all planned webinars.