HIV Testing in Odesa: Insights and Initiatives
From November 25 to 29, 2024, Odesa participated in the European HIV Testing Week as part of the 'HIV in Europe' initiative.
This event was supported by the Odesa City Council's Department of Health, the City Center for HIV Prevention and Control, and the Odesa Health Center, which provided free and voluntary HIV testing for all interested individuals.
Rapid tests were used for the examination, allowing participants to receive their HIV status within 15 minutes. The procurement of these rapid tests was financed from the Odesa city budget under the targeted program 'Health'.
A total of 1,192 people underwent rapid tests during the European HIV Testing Week, resulting in 8 individuals testing positive for HIV.
Patients with positive results were referred to the City AIDS Center for diagnosis confirmation, disease stage assessment, and medical supervision to initiate antiretroviral therapy promptly.
Modern antiretroviral medications, provided free of charge, help minimize viral load in the bloodstream.
Currently, Odesa has achieved high treatment success for HIV, with 96% of HIV patients on antiretroviral therapy having undetectable viral loads. This prevents disease progression and AIDS symptoms, allowing HIV-positive individuals to lead long, fulfilling lives without posing a risk to partners and having healthy children.
The achievements in HIV detection and treatment reflect the successful implementation of the global Fast Track Cities initiative, to which Odesa joined by signing the Paris Declaration.
Odesa's efforts in combating HIV have received international recognition.
