Closing the HIV Diagnosis Gap in Germany with Gilead Sciences
As a nation where 90% of all people living with HIV know their diagnosis and are being treated, Germany has made great strides to advance its HIV care goals. Yet the country acknowledges it still has significant work to do to close the gaps in diagnosis that still exist, mainly in its rural and migrant communities.
Early diagnosis is essential to help end the HIV epidemic, which is why Gilead partners with numerous local German organizations. Among them is AIDS-Hilfe Krefeld, whose outreach efforts include utilizing a mobile clinic to test people in resource-limited areas where there are remaining needs and gaps in care.
“We travel to rural areas and offer local HIV and STI testing to people who can’t find their way to us, and we try to help people get treatment,” says Anja Wiese, an educator for AIDS-Hilfe Krefeld.
Working Together Towards 100% Diagnosis
Gilead’s innovations have helped transform HIV from a fatal disease to a chronic and preventable disease for many, and it now has its sights set on helping to end the HIV epidemic. In order to help Germany achieve the 95% HIV diagnosis goal set by UNAIDS for 2025, the company recently launched the HIVISION100 initiative. To inform the initiative, 45 HIV experts, including ones from community organizations, came together to share best practices and find ways to make it easier for people to get tested.
HIV leaders like Anja believe Germany and other countries around the world can help close the gap if organizations pull together to utilize the strategies unveiled in the initiative. “I think that we can definitely achieve 95%, or even 100%,” she declares.
Watch the video above to learn about the ongoing efforts underway in Germany to close the diagnosis gap.
