The Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-being (NDPHS), Expert Group (EG) on HIV, TB and Associated Infections

The Expert Group (EG) on HIV, TB and Associated Infections is one of the seven groups established and functioning under the Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-being (NDPHS). The NDPHS was established in 2003 as a cooperative platform in the field of health and social wellbeing, and currently unites 10 countries, 8 international organisations, and European Commission. 

The EG on HIV, TB and AI (established in 2004 as EG on HIV/AIDS, later renamed into EG on HIV and TB) consists of healthcare experts and professionals from different NDPHS countries and organisations. The work of the EG on HIV, TB and AI is coordinated by its Chair and International Technical Advisor (ITA). Currently, the Chair of the EG is Anna-Leena Lohiniva and the ITA is Dmitry Titkov, both from THL. The Vice-Chair of the EG is Anna Marzec-Bogusławska, Director of Poland’s National AIDS Centre.

The activity of the EG is guided by the NDPHS Strategy and its Action Plan. The EG works towards better containment of the spread of HIV infection, tuberculosis and associated infections. The EG focuses on questions of surveillance and monitoring, prevention and care, awareness-raising and policy development. 

The Covid-19 pandemic may jeopardise the gains achieved in the fight against HIV and TB since many services have been disrupted, staff and resources re-allocated, funding reduced, and focus shifted.

It is therefore vitally important to keep track of Covid-19 impacts on HIV and TB services, to seek solutions to ensure provision of services, including early detection of HIV, TB and Hep C, access to therapy and prevention, and to closely monitor the epidemiological situation of HIV infection, tuberculosis and HVC. It is also crucial to keep HIV, TB and associated infections high and visible on the political and societal radar.

As part of the EU-funded MITTENS project administered by the NDPHS Secretariat, the EG will undertake two studies in 2022–2023, one is a comparative analysis in the ND countries based on findings from EMIS studies in 2010 and 2017, and the other is an inventory of latent TB infection response in the ND countries. Besides, in late 2022, the EG will co-organise an event to address the currently hot topics of HIV, TB and associated infections in the ND region. The EG will continue seeking collaboration with other regional structures.