International AIDS Candlelight Memorial Day

 

 

The Estonian Network of People Living with HIV (www.ehpv.ee), on the eve of International AIDS Candlelight Memorial Day, which is traditionally celebrated on the third Sunday of May, addressesresidents of Estonia, the government and municipalities of cities.

We all live through difficult times. We know that COVID-19 is a serious disease that has affected the country. Experience gained from the HIV epidemic can also be used to combat COVID-19.

We urge you to pay attention to people affected by COVID-19 who need our support. As it was with AIDS response, governments must work with communities to find solutions on local level.

Government, ministries, municipalities, and the population itself must respect the rights and dignity of people affected by COVID-19. Key populations should not bear the brunt of stigma and discrimination as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Forty years of fighting the HIV epidemic is an experience based on human rights and community orientation, which are key points in the fight against any epidemic. Building trust between affected communities, government, and the health system is also needed to effectively and quickly respond to the rapid spread of the pandemic.

We can say that viruses have captured our consciousness and our lives, but not the virus itself is important, but its consequences – stigma and discrimination. When the people infected by such “viruses”, it becomes important for us: what is your skin color, gender, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, the presence of a disease, etc. At the same time, the deeper the virus penetrates our consciousness, the more it forces to manifest: bias, injustice, violence. As a result, stigmatized person is left alone with his problem.

International AIDS Candlelight Memorial Day, is one of the oldest and largest mobilization campaigns in the world to raise public awareness of HIV and AIDS in the world, serves as an important means of global solidarity, breaking down barriers of stigma and discrimination and giving hope to new generations.

The HIV epidemiological situation in Estonia continues to be difficult. The persistent high incidence of HIV infection, the steady growth rate of new infections, the increase in the total number of HIV-infected people, the “growing up” of the infection and its activation in the general population due to the increase in sexual transmission are real today. Over the years in Estonia, 10265 people were diagnosed with HIV, including 567 people with AIDS.

Modern medicine have allowed HIV infection to pass from the category of fatal to chronic. Having started treatment with antiretroviral drugs in time, and following all the doctor’s instructions, people living with HIV live a long and full life. There is no cure for AIDS, but there is an opportunity to slow down its development. As Estonia has access to antiretroviral therapy, HIV / AIDS must be seen as a disease, not a death sentence. But even now, death from AIDS arises due to the fact that an HIV-positive person is not able to receive specialized medical services and antiretroviral treatment on time.

Our common vision is zero new HIV cases, zero discrimination against people living with HIV and zero AIDS-related deaths, but this requires investment, open and honest dialogue about it between the government and society. When we recognize the scale of the effects of viruses on our lives, we will seek to minimize the risk of contracting them.

On the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial Day, we want to recall one more time that the human right to health is the basic right of every person. And no one has the right to deprive it! We wish, as never before, to mobilize all our efforts to eradicate stigma and discrimination, violation of human rights and bring a clear understanding that we are all vulnerable.

We hope that the COVID-19 pandemic, since the HIV epidemic did not quite cope with this at the time, will change the attitude generally to any problems in society related with viruses. It is very important to support those who are trying to confront these problems, regardless of the situation, age, gender, etc. It has long been clear to the PLHIV community that viruses do not forgive a frivolous attitude towards them. We hope that on this day this awareness will come to you.

Join us to light a candle for memory of people who died from AIDS and COVID-19.

  1. Light a memorial candle on the terrace, balcony, garden or wherever it is comfortable for you
  2. Remember and pray for relatives, friends, acquaintances who have died of AIDS or COVID-19
  3. Share your memory and photos with us on social networks and donot forget to tag us #ehpv or @ EHPV – Estonian HIV-Positive Network.


Info:

+372 5870 6070 (in Russian)
+372 5616 7097  (in Estonian)
+372 57816023  (in English)
ehpv@ehpv.ee

 

We Remember. We Take Action. We Live Beyond HIV!”

We are excited to share with you the details of the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial 2022, which will be held on Sunday May 15, 2022
The Memorial was started in 1983 by people living with HIV, to remember the lives lost to AIDS and to honour those who dedicated their lives to helping people living with and affected by HIV.
The Estonian Network PLWHIV over the years has continued to coordinate the efforts to make the day memorable and continue to mobilise our communities in solidarity in Estonia.

We are excited to share with you the recently updated International AIDS Candlelight Memorial website where we have information on global and local eventswith our perennial theme “We Remember. We Take Action. We Live Beyond HIV!”

https://www.candlelightmemorial.net/

Given the safety measures adopted by in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, like in the previous year Estonian Network PLWHIV encourages everyone to mark the day individually or virtually.
A more active role on social media will be necessary though to make this year’s commemoration a meaningful one.

Vouchers for buying products from supermarkets

Estonian Network of People Living with HIV is supporting LGBT refugees from Ukraine with 100 euros worth vouchers for different supermarkets in Estonia.

If you belong to the target group, please kindly perform the questionnaire below. Please be informed, that your personal data or contacts won’t be disclosed anywhere. We only need the information for assessing your qualification into the target group of this project and for being able to contact you.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1PQv2jlpk9twDP_P9kt0LMheTkLAWHqKxyOoYMOiUT9g/viewform?edit_requested=true

1.May starts a new project

1.May starts a new project: Exchange best practices and experiences working with refugees in the Baltics.

Нові інформаційні матеріали українською мовою

Естонська мережа людей, що живуть з ВІЛ (EHPV) – організація, що об’єднує всіх людей, що живуть з ВІЛ, та представляє їх інтереси в Естонії
Якщо ви підозрюєте, що у вас ВІЛ, пройдіть тестування
Тестування на ВІЛ – єдиний спосіб дізнатися про свій статус
В організації можна пройти тестування на ВІЛ, гепатит С. Тестування є конфіденційним, анонімним та безкоштовним
Якщо Ви знаєте про свій ВІЛ-позитивний статус, починайте або продовжуйте
лікування
Після підтвердження статусу необхідно якомога скоріше почати прийом АРВ-терапії. АРВ-терапія не виліковує ВІЛ, проте призупиняє його подальший розвиток
Отримання медичної допомоги і АРВ-терапії в Естонії
Для проживаючих та працюючих в Естонії АРВ-терапія та ліки безкоштовні, незважаючи на наявність медичного страхування
Біженці з України, що живуть з ВІЛ, можуть безкоштовно отримати допомогу лікаря-інфекціоніста та АРВ-терапію
Консультаційні послуги EHPV
Психолог – прийняття статусу, повідомлення про діагноз близькому оточенню, інші психолонічні питання
Соціальний працівник – вирішення соціальних труднощів (оформлення документів, отримання соціальної та гуманітарної допомоги, пошук роботи та ін.), медичних питань (отримання медичних препаратів, медичних послуг)
Рівний консультант – питання, пов’язані з ВІЛ і лікуванням, наркозалежністю, гепатитами, туберкульозом, підтримка з питань створення сім’ї
Сімейна терапія – різнопланова підтримка для пар, де один або обидва партнери ВІЛ-позитивні
Контакти
м. Таллінн – Rävala pst 8-1014
м. Нарва – Linda 4, 6.этаж
м. Йихві – Rakvere tn 4
Для спілкування українською – +372 5376 1550, Алла
Для спілкування російською – +372 5870 6070, Лачін
Для спілкування естонською та англійською – +372 5557 8131, Катерина

World TB Day 2022

Each year, we commemorate World Tuberculosis (TB) Day on March 24 to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of TB, and to step up efforts to end the global TB epidemic. The date marks the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch announced that he had discovered the bacterium that causes TB, which opened the way towards diagnosing and curing this disease.

TB remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious killers. Each day, over 4100 people lose their lives to TB and close to 28,000 people fall ill with this preventable and curable disease. Global efforts to combat TB have saved an estimated 66 million lives since the year 2000. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has reversed years of progress made in the fight to end TB. For the first time in over a decade, TB deaths increased in 2020.

The theme of World TB Day 2022 – ‘Invest to End TB. Save Lives.’ –conveys the urgent need to invest resources to ramp up the fight against TB and achieve the commitments to end TB made by global leaders. This is especially critical in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic that has put End TB progress at risk, and to ensure equitable access to prevention and care in line with WHO’s drive towards achieving Universal Health Coverage.

More investment will save millions more lives, accelerating the end of the TB epidemic.

https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-tb-day/2022

 

WORLD TB DAY 2022

This year is a critical year for all of us in the global fight to end TB as we countdown to reach the UN High-Level Meeting (UNHLM) on TB targets which the international community agreed to meet by the end of December.

Ongoing COVID-19 efforts and a catastrophic funding gap of US$ 9 billion threatens to hamper global progress to combat TB. This is why we have chosen “Invest to End TB. Save Lives” as the theme for this year’s World TB Day campaign, which officially starts today.

The Stop TB Partnership and all partners are calling on all those involved in the fight against TB to unite under this overarching theme and sound the alarm that the low levels of funding for the TB response year after year cannot continue nor be accepted anymore. Of the US$ 15 billion annual funding for TB promised by world leaders at the UNHLM in 2018, less than half has been delivered. World leaders must step up and triple or quadruple the funding to save lives and end TB by 2030.

INVEST TO END TB. SAVE LIVES.

https://www.stoptb.org/world-tb-day/world-tb-day-2022

Moderna takes HIV trimer mRNA vaccine into clinical trials

The first participant has been dosed in a Phase 1 clinical trial of HIV trimer mRNA vaccine candidate mRNA-1574.

HTTPS://WWW.BIOPHARMA-REPORTER.COM/ARTICLE/2022/03/14/MODERNA-TAKES-MRNA-HIV-CANDIDATE-INTO-CLINICAL-TRIALS 

HIV-positive diagnosed in Estonia in 2022 (11.03.2022)

As of March 11, 2022, 18 HIV-infected persons have been diagnosed in Estonia.

Over the years, a total of 10,368 people have been diagnosed with the HIV virus in Estonia.

https://www.terviseamet.ee/et/nakkushaigused-menuu/tervishoiutootajale/nakkushaigustesse-haigestumine/hiv-ja-aids

 

Help for LGBT+ refugees from Ukraine

Here you will find the main information about coming to Estonia if you are fleeing the war in Ukraine. Most of it is general, some LGBT+ specific. If you are an LGBT+ refugee from Ukraine and need any other help, please contact us at info@lgbt.ee in English, Russian, or Estonian.

The information on this page will be updated as necessary.

ІНФОРМАЦІЯ УКРАЇНСЬКОЮ

ИНФОРМАЦИЯ НА РУССКОМ

 

ENTERING ESTONIA

All Ukrainian citizens can come to Estonia without a visa, including those without a biometric passport.

You can apply for international protection at the border or at a Police and Border Guard Board service point. The applicant has the right to stay in Estonia and will receive means of subsistence (accommodation, food, clothes, health services etc). Those who receive international protection will get a temporary residence permit and the right to work in Estonia. Applicants can live at the state-managed accommodation center or with relatives and friends who live in Estonia.

If you are not a citizen of Ukraine, the regular process of entering Estonia applies to you (visas, asylum applications, residence permits etc).

More information on the website www.kriis.ee/en and as PDF files in UkrainianRussianEnglish ja Estonian.

ENTERING ESTONIA WITH A PET

Currently it is possible to come to Estonia from Ukraine with a pet even if they do not fill the necessary requirements for travel (microchip/tattoo, rabies vaccination, documents). In that case you will need to fill out a form and send it to the Agriculture and Food Board and the Tax and Customs Board.

The form and contacts are here only in Estonian, but you can ask for help at the Estonian border crossing point.

https://www.lgbt.ee/ukraine-en

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