The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-Dominican Republic (CDC DR), through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), has three main goals related to HIV and tuberculosis (TB): Increase detection, treatment, and retention of people living with HIV (PLHIV) to reduce mortality and HIV transmission and reach the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) 95-95-95 targets to obtain epidemic control; improve the quality of HIV and TB care; and increase access to, and uptake of, HIV testing and counseling and other evidence-based interventions among key and priority populations (KP/PP). The UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets are, by 2030: 95 percent of all PLHIV will know their HIV status; 95 percent of all people with diagnosed HIV infection will receive sustained antiretroviral therapy (ART); and 95 percent of all people receiving ART will have viral suppression.

CDC DR’s key strategies include: Supporting the Government of the DR (GoDR) in the transition to Test and Start for ART initiation; implementing service delivery models that contribute to closing the treatment gap for KP/PP; and addressing system-wide challenges in the national HIV response, such as viral load (VL) monitoring, supply chain management, health information management, and workforce capacity development.

PEPFAR’s cornerstone approaches in the DR include: Strategically pairing local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with public sector health facilities to foster exchanges that lead to better service quality and performance in both sectors; implementing different HIV testing and counselling modalities, including facility- and community-based index client testing, which involves identifying current and former partners and household members of PLHIV; and developing differentiated models of HIV treatment, notably through mobile clinics, to ensure that migrants and other hard-to-reach populations receive comprehensive treatment in a non-stigmatizing environment.

DominicanRepublic.pdf

Stephen B. Thacker CDC Library collection

Dominican Republic