The AIDS/STD Programme in Bangladesh brought all stakeholders together to discuss the challenges posed by COVID-19 and the required measures for people living with HIV (PLHIV) and other key populations. UNAIDS and partners are working with the government to ensure that all PLHIV, including those among refugee populations, receive a three-month supply of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs.
UNAIDS also worked with WHO and Save the Children to build the capacity of case workers to ensure that all people who use drugs and are living with HIV, including those who are homeless, receive antiretroviral treatment regularly. Each case worker provides treatment to around fifteen to twenty people who use drugs and are living with HIV by either leaving weekly doses of HIV treatment and four-day supply of opioid substitution therapy (OST) with a caregiver for those who have a home or by paying daily visits to those living on the streets and taking them to the drop in centers to get the ARVs and OST.
Furthermore, UNAIDS is supporting the Network of People who Use Drugs (NPUD) in their efforts to generate funds through in-kind personal donations to help homeless people who use drugs and are living with HIV to access food and other livelihoods during the COVID-19 response.
