For Immediate Release
Press Release
Dushanbe, Tajikistan, December 1, 2022 — The United States joins Tajikistan in observing World AIDS Day. The United States continues to support people living with HIV and those affected by HIV in Tajikistan through a range of programs. Today, we celebrate our achievements, but we also reflect on those we have lost to AIDS and those who continue to struggle with the disease. There is still much work to be done to help the 38 million people worldwide living with HIV.
The theme for World AIDS Day 2022 is “Putting Ourselves to the Test: Achieving Equity to End HIV.” The U.S. government collaborates with the government of Tajikistan and local communities to erase barriers to quality HIV service access, such as stigma and discrimination, gender-based violence, harmful policies, and discriminatory legislation that further marginalizes individuals.
This year marks the 19th year of U.S. government engagement with Tajikistan to respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. During this time, the U.S President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) partnered with Tajikistan to control and ultimately end the HIV epidemic in the country. The United States Government supports the service delivery provided by the healthcare system and the role of the community organizations in HIV prevention, care, and treatment in Tajikistan. The result is a system that provides effective, resilient, and quick service delivery inside of health facilities, with health care support continuing within the community.
While progress is being made, the spread of HIV infection remains a serious health problem in Tajikistan, where an estimated 14,000 people live with HIV. At the beginning of October 2022, 76% of HIV-infected adults knew their status; among those, 87% were on life-saving antiretroviral therapy; and among those on treatment, 88% were virally suppressed, meaning that the risk of infecting others was reduced.
PEPFAR and USAID, in coordination with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population, serves to support the implementation of HIV programs by supporting enabling environments and to erase barriers to quality HIV service access.