Odesa's Healthcare Facilities Offer Free HIV Testing
From November 25 to 29, 2024, Odesa participated in the European Testing Week for HIV under the initiative «HIV in Europe».
Supported by the Department of Health of the Odesa City Council, the City Center for HIV Prevention and Treatment, and the Odesa City Health Center, free and confidential HIV testing was made available to all interested individuals.
Rapid tests were utilized for testing, allowing individuals to receive their HIV status within 15 minutes. The purchase of these rapid tests is funded by the Odesa city budget under the “Health” program.
As a result of the European Testing Week for HIV, a total of 1192 individuals were tested in Odesa's healthcare facilities, with 8 individuals receiving positive results.
Patients with positive results were referred to the City AIDS Center for confirmation of their diagnosis, staging of the disease, and medical supervision to swiftly begin antiretroviral therapy.
Modern antiretroviral medications, which are provided free of charge at the City AIDS Center, minimize the viral load in the blood.
Currently, Odesa has achieved high treatment success for HIV, where 96% of patients receiving antiretroviral therapy have an undetectable viral load. This prevents disease progression and the development of AIDS symptoms, allowing HIV-positive individuals to live long, fulfilling lives without posing a risk to their partners and to have healthy children.
These achievements in HIV detection and treatment demonstrate the successful implementation of the global Fast Track Cities initiative, to which Odesa joined by signing the Paris Declaration by Mayor Gennady Trukhanov.
Odesa's efforts in combating HIV have received recognition on a global scale.
