Focus areas
Given the disturbing progression of the HIV/AIDS epidemics in the countries of eastern Europe and globally, our mission is to contribute to long-term strategic planning of HIV prevention and control responses by developing training programmes and other approaches to knowledge and evidence building.
Focus areas of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Capacity Building in HIV/AIDS Surveillance
I. Provision of Training Courses in HIV/AIDS Surveillance
The expanded knowledge base and refined epidemiological and laboratory tools have made HIV surveillance more effective, but also operationally more complex. This is why we put emphasis in our work on development of new training coures in the emerging areas of HIV surveillance and keep the existing courses constantly updated. The training programme has been developed in collaboration with the leading institutions in the field, such as WHO, UNAIDS, European Center for Disease Control and Prevention, University of California, San Francisco, UK Health Protection Agency and the US CDC.
The following courses are currently offered and can be delivered by the WHO Collaborating Centre for Capacity Building in HIOV/AIDS Surveillance:
- Introduction to the 2nd generation HIV/AIDS surveillance
- Behavioural surveillance
- Surveillance of sexually transmitted infections
- Biological HIV/AIDS surveillance
- HIV/AIDS Surveillance in hard to reach populations
- HIV surveillance among TB patients
- Monitoring and Evaluation of National AIDS Programmes
- Biological and Behavioural Surveillance Surveys in Hard to Reach Populations using Respondent-Driven Sampling
- Analysis and Interpretation of Data from Respondent-Driven Sampling using Respondent-Driven Sampling Analysis Tool (RDSAT)
- Analysis and Use of Strategic Information - Data Triangulation in HIV Surveillance
- Designing protocols for Population-Based and Clinic-Based HIV Surveillance Surveys
- Biological and Behavioural Surveillance Surveys in Hard to Reach Populations using Time-Location Sampling
- HIV Surveillance for HIV Programme Managers
- Surveillance in Low-Level and Concentrated HIV/AIDS Epidemics
- Monitoring and Surveillance of Resistance to ART
- Strengthening Capacities for Conducting National AIDS Spending Assessments and Resource Needs Estimates
- HIV prevalence Estimates and Projections (In collaboration with UNAIDS)
The target audience includes professionals working on HIV surveillance at governmental and non-governmental institutions, HIV programme managers, health policy makers and those who will act as trainers of staff at the local level.
II. Technical Assistance
WHO Collaborating Centre for Capacity Building in HIV/AIDS Surveillance provides technical assistance in the following areas and aspects relevant to HIV/AIDS surveillance:
- Assessment of the quality of existing HIV surveillance systems, including STI and behavioural surveillance
- Identification of priority groups and areas where HIV surveillance needs to be established
- Assistance in identification and implementation of operational research and pre-surveillance assessment
- Development of HIV surveillance strategy, workplans and budgets for HIV surveillance
- Assistance in implementation of surveillance surveys, including clinic- and facility- based surveillance, and population-based surveys among high risk groups
- Selection of HIV and STI tests and testing algorithms
- Training of surveillance professionals and field staff who work on survey implementation
- Analysis and interpretation of data, and report writing
III. Adaptation of Surveillance Tools and Guidelines
One of the important work areas of the Centre includes synthesising findings from surveillance practice into guidelines, the development of tools and data collection instruments that are used in various stages of HIV surveillance and the incorporation of these into training manuals.
Guidelines for implementation of HIV/AIDS surveillance systems in low-level and concentrated epidemics have been developed for WHO EMRO to assist surveillance officers and programme managers in the planning, design and implementation of various components of HIV surveillance. The Guidelines are planned to be translated by WHO EMRO Office in Arabic and French.
The Guidelines describe the main components of an HIV surveillance system and emphasise the necessity of having multiple data sources in order to better understand the dynamics of HIV epidemic and the relevance it has for planning HIV prevention, control and treatment.
IV. Networking
The Centre has an extensive network of collaborators, that consists of experts from WHO, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNICEF, European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, UK Health Protection Agency and the US CDC, and participants of our training courses. We aim to facilitate information exchange through regional networking and keeping in contact with the professionals who have been trained at our courses, as well as other interested parties.
Back to topCOURSE DATES
- 29 June - 3 July 2008, Dubrovnik, Cavtat
- Training course in Surveillance and Control of Sexually Transmitted Infections
- AGENDA (404 KB)
- INFORMATION NOTE FOR MEETING PARTICIPANTS (357 KB)
- 14-17 July 2008, Zagreb, Croatia
- Training course in RDS Data Analysis
- AGENDA (388 KB)
- INFORMATION NOTE FOR MEETING PARTICIPANTS (352 KB)
- MAP OVERVIEW (493 KB)
- 10-14 November 2008, Zagreb, Croatia
- Training course on Design and Implementation of HIV surveys using respondent-driven sampling
- AGENDA (335 KB)
- You can register for our upcoming coureses now via our on-line aplication form