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Today the European Commission published a staff working document on combatting HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis B and C and tuberculosis in the European Union and neighbouring countries. The document is an overview of EU policy initiatives and activities to help Member States meet the global sustainable development goal of ending the AIDS and tuberculosis epidemics by 2030 and to fight hepatitis and other communicable diseases.
These diseases pose the greatest risk to populations that are often also socially marginalised, such as prisoners, injecting drug users, homeless people, migrants and the poor and groups potentially subject to social stigma like men who have sex with men (MSM). Exacerbated social conditions make it even harder to reach out to these groups, necessitating specific tailored measures to ensure that prevention and medical care efforts are effective.
The staff working document takes stock of the EU support to Member States across several policy areas: public health, research, drugs policy, development cooperation, accession and neighbourhood policy, European structural funds, etc. It also presents EU-funded good practices related to early diagnosis, encouragement of testing, wider outreach to vulnerable groups, integrated care across the diseases, rapid linkage to care, treatment as prevention, health promotion and support to networks and civil society organisations.
The staff working document comes against the backdrop of the 22nd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2018) in Amsterdam, where the Commission is organising a series of events to present EU action and promote positive achievements of the EU Health Programme. It will also be relevant for the upcoming UN General Assembly high-level meeting on ending tuberculosis scheduled for September in New York.
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