More than 150 doctors, child psychologists and social workers from 5 countries of the region improved their capacity to provide assistance and support to children and teenagers with HIV

The workshop was attended by doctors, child psychologists and social workers from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Belarus and the Russian Federation. Jointly with their colleagues from the Children’s HIV Association (CHIVA) and the Pediatric European Network for Treatment of AIDS (PENTA) the participants reviewed difficult and clinical cases of children with HIV infection in the region, discussed the ways of overcoming stigma and discrimination and shared their own experience.

In his welcoming speech, Mr. Erkin Checheibaev, Deputy Minister of Healthcare of the Kyrgyz Republic, said: “Kyrgyzstan became the first country in Central Asia to host an international event of such format. It is a great honor for the country to receive dear guests from fraternal states. This opportunity to show our openness and political commitment in fighting against HIV infection gives us hope that together we will be able to overcome the epidemic in the region.”

According to statistics, in 2016 more than 153,000 new cases of HIV were registered in region of Europe, of which 18 % in Western Europe, 3 % in the Central Europe and 79 % in the Eastern Europe and the Central Asia.

Simultaneously with the workshop, the first Central Asian Forum - camp for children and teenagers with HIV was arranged. 50 teenagers from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Belarus worked for five days with parents, psychologists and social workers to adopt their own status and develop commitment to treatment.

“We are pleased to welcome younger participants in the Forum and their parents. We hope that you will not only spend your time with advantage, but also be able to make friends with your peers from different countries, think about how to help other teenagers fight stigma and discrimination, and will be able to unite. I would like to wish fruitful work for the adults. It is important to remember that overcoming the HIV epidemic is possible only if we can unite our joint efforts,” – said Ms. Meerim Sarybaeva, UNAIDS country director in Kyrgyzstan.

At present there are over 600 teenagers with registered HIV infection living in Kyrgyzstan. Stigma and discrimination against them remain high, therefore it is important that parents, doctors, psychologists and social workers know how to effectively help them.