HIV Scotland

SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE POLICY

Matters such as health, education and prisons, which used to be dealt with by the Parliament at Westminster, are now decided in Scotland. For more information on devolved government in Scotland see the Scottish Parliament factfile.

Sexual Health & HIV

HIV Strategy

Report of the HIV Health Promotion Strategy Review Group (2001)

This document is also available in pdf format (119k)

CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE Introduction
CHAPTER TWO Epidemiology
CHAPTER THREE Preventing transmission among gay men
CHAPTER FOUR Preventing transmission among the adult heterosexual population
CHAPTER FIVE Preventing transmission among young people
CHAPTER SIX Preventing transmission among injecting drug users
CHAPTER SEVEN Preventing transmission by other routes
CHAPTER EIGHT Preventing hepatitis C infection among injecting drug users
CHAPTER NINE Issues for the Scottish Executive
CHAPTER TEN Recommendations

Sex Education

16/06/2000 Education Report on the Working Group on Sex Education in Scottish Schools
This report details the findings and recommendations of the Ministerial working group on sex education (the McCabe Committee)

Drugs

31/01/2002 Drug Misuse Statistics Scotland, 2001
This publication presents the latest available information on drug misuse from a wide range of national data sources

23/11/2001 Scottish Executive's Annual Report On Drug Misuse for 2001-02

01/08/2002 Scottish Advisory Committee On Drug Misuse: Psychostimulant Working Group Report
The Report highlights that there are serious health consequences to using cocaine, crack cocaine and amphetamines. It also makes it clear that there is unmet need for information and services among us

27/10/2000 Review of Executive Expenditure on Tackling Drug Misuse (PDF file)

11/03/1999 Tackling drugs in Scotland: action in partnership. Scotlands objectives and action priorities
Summary of Scottish Executive's National Drug Strategy

22/02/2001 Social Inclusion Housing and Voluntary Sector Committee: Enquiry into Drug Misuse and Deprived Communities: Response by the Scottish Executive to the 6th Report, 2000, Volume 1 (PDF file) SE Response to Committee's Report

Hepatitis C

24/10/2000 Hepatitis C and heat treatment of blood products for haemophiliacs in the mid 1980s (PDF file)
Examination of evidence about heat treatment of Factor VIII in Scotland, to assess whether haemophilia patients were exposed to risks of Hepatitis C virus longer than they should have been.

21/11/2002 Hepatitis C Infected Health Care Workers
Advice to health professionals in Scotland about hep C.

14/12/2001 Our National Health: Delivering Change
Progress report on delivering the commitments in Our National Health 24/03/2000 Overview of Written Evidence Received as Part of the Review of the Public Health Function in Scotland
An analysis of written evidence received as part of a Review of the Public Health Function in Scotland.

21/12/1999 Review of the Public Health Function in Scotland
Consultation paper on the review of the public health function

27/02/2003 'Partnership for Care': Scotland's Health White Paper
This document sets out the Executive's policy on Health. 27/02/2003 check link

17/03/2003 Improving Health in Scotland - The Challenge
Improving Health in Scotland - The Challenge provides a framework to support an active programme to deliver the policy for health improvement set out in Partnership for Care, Scotland's Health White Paper

18/09/2001 Health and Homelessness Guidance
Guidance to NHS Boards as part of the Executive's drive to tackle health inequalities and promote social justice

26/09/2001 Health in Scotland 2000
CMO Annual Report

31/07/2002 Health In Scotland 2001
Annual Report 2001 of the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland

UK GOVERNMENT POLICY

Sexual Health and HIV

The Sexual Health & HIV Strategy

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Better prevention, better services, better sexual health: the national strategy for sexual health and HIV (pdf file 203 KB)

This document was published by the United Kingdom Department of Health in September 2001. "It is the first national strategy for sexual health and HIV." The document mentions that there have been great changes in attitudes to sex and sexual morality in the last thirty years and the government seeks to modernise its strategy. The main aims are: to reduce the transmission of HIV and STIs; reduce the prevalence of undiagnosed HIV and STIs; reduce unintended pregnancy rates; improve health and social care for people living with HIV; and reduce the stigma of HIV and STIs.

The UK is a relatively low prevalence country for HIV infections as a result of sustained public education and health promotion campaigns. Nevertheless, HIV remains a life-threatening condition. The introduction of drug therapies have improved the lives of many people infected with HIV, but there is still no cure. The National Strategy for Sexual Health and HIV sets out the Government's aims for tackling HIV in England. Among other things, It includes goals for reducing the spread of HIV, sets standards for the treatment, support and care of people living with HIV and makes proposals to ensure that there is a sound evidence base for effective HIV prevention.

also available: The National Strategy for Sexual Health and HIV: Implementation Action Plan· (pdf file 114 KB)

and: Effective Commissioning of Sexual Health and HIV Services: A Sexual Health and HIV Coommissioning Toolkit for Primary Care Trusts and Local Authorities (pdf file 287 KB)

The Sexual Health and Commissioning Toolkit is intended for those responsible for commissioning and providing sexual health and HIV services in primary care trusts (PCTs) and local authorities. Strategic Health Authorities (StHAs) and service providers across the NHS, voluntary and community organisations will also find this toolkit of interest.It provides a summary of recommended key aims, goals and standards for PCTs in relation to sexual health and HIV, and further guidance on good commissioning practice including checklists for local activity. The consequences of poor sexual health can have a long lasting and severe impact on people's quality of life. Sexual health is also increasingly associated with poverty and social exclusion. It is therefore important that these issues are addressed and that quality services are in place. This document provides good practice guidance that sets out how best practice in this area can be achieved.

The National Health Service Act 1977, The NHS Trusts and Primary Care Trusts (Sexually Transmitted Diseases) Directions 2000

HIV & AIDS in the UK in 2001 - An update: November 2002 (266 KB)
Public Health Laboratory Service Report

Prevalance of HIV and hepatitis infections in the UK - Unlinked Anonymous Prevalence Monitoring Programme: 2002 Annual Report (271 KB)

Statistics on Sexually Transmitted Infections from the Public Health Laboratory Service

International Development Policy

International Development is a reserved matter to Westminster.

Better Health for Poor People: Strategies for Achieving the International Development Targets
This 50-page report from the UK Government's Department for International Development, published in 2000, is one of a series of Target Strategy Papers. It looks at the present state of global world health, and the nature and distribution of disease. It discusses responses to this situation and focuses on the priority health problems of poor people, investment in effective health systems, measures against AIDS and improvements to the political and physical environments. There are useful statistical appendices. The paper is available in .pdf format

HIV AND HUMAN RIGHTS

United Kingdom Declaration of the Rights of People with HIV and AIDS
This declaration was made by persons living with HIV/AIDS and by community-based HIV/AIDS organizations. It lists rights that all citizens of the UK, including persons living with HIV/AIDS, enjoy under international law; and prescribes measures and recommends practices that, according to the writers of the declaration, need to be implemented to ensure that these rights are respected and protected.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Covenants
On 10 December 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Although not a legally-binding instrument, the Declaration is a blueprint for international human rights. The full text is at www.un.org/overview/rights.html.
In 1966, legal form was given to the Declaration in the twin International Covenants, one on Civil and Political Rights, the other on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The texts of these Covenants are at www.hrweb.org/legal/cpr.html and www.hrweb.org/legal/escr.html.

Keeping the Promise: Summary of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS
This booklet simplifies and summarizes the text of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS issued at the UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS, held 25-27 June 2001 in New York. It is available in English, French, Russian, and Spanish.

Human Rights Watch World Report 2003
This is the 2003 annual report from the Human Rights Watch organisation, detailing the state of human rights in 58 countries across the world. The report is not only broken down by geographical or political boundaries but includes special sections on refugees, AIDS/HIV and global security. Key areas of repression which are highlighted include: Chechnya, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Arab- Israeli conflict, Burma, China, Iraq, Iran, Liberia and Vietnam. Also covered are wars in Sierra Leone, Chechnya, Angola and Sudan.

International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC)
Founded in 1990 to fill the gap between the international human rights movement and the gay rights movement, neither of which fully addressed human rights violations against sexual minorities. IGLHRC aims for respect for the fundamental human rights of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, transgendered people and people with HIV and AIDS and also for their protection under international human rights law. It combines traditional human rights techniques such as monitoring, documenting, advocating and public policy development with grassroots organizing and supporting groups in developing countries. A newsletter, action alerts to specific cases of human rights abuse and access to other online resources are provided.

INTERNATIONAL POLICY

(Also see above sections on UK Govt International Development Policy and Human Rights Policy)

UNAIDS

UNAIDS has published an extensive range of materials on a variety of topics related to HIV/AIDS. Most of them, as well as publications produced by our Cosponsoring agencies and partner organizations, are available on line.
All HIV/AIDS-related titles published by UNAIDS and other organizations in the UN system are contained in a bibliographic database and can be searched by title, author, keyword, ISBN, topic, language, country and global area. Go now to explore the bibliographic databa

HIV/AIDs: A Threat to Decent Work, Productivity and Development
This report is from the International Labour Organisation. The document was discussed at the Special High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDs and the World of Work. It looks at the effects HIV/AIDs has now on work, education, housing, law, privacy, liberty and many other areas. It also looks at the future effects of of subsequent loss of population on productivity, work and food production. + Full

HIV/AIDS, human resources and sustainable development
Released on the eve of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg, South Africa, 26 August-4 September 2002, this report details how the epidemic is affecting global human capital and suggests strategies to mitigate its impact.

Global HIV/AIDS epidemic 2002-2003 CD-ROM
This multilingual CD-ROM contains the "Report on the global HIV/AIDS epidemic 2002", the "AIDS epidemic update-December 2002", and a special report on HIV/AIDS and sustainable development. It also features a set of 55 epidemiological graphics and slides. To order, contact:
Alex Miranda (mirandaa@unaids.org)
UNAIDS, 20 Avenue Appia,
1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland

Drug Use and HIV Vulnerability: Policy Research Study in Asia
Author(s): UNAIDS Asia Pacific Intercountry Team
Description: United Nations statistics suggest that more than 65% of all injecting drug users in Asia are HIV positive. The UN set up a Task Force to study national drug control and public health policies in 7 Asian countries. The study indicates that there are many legal, social and political barriers that impede the implementation of effective prevention strategies. This paper is intended to serve as a practical source for professionals working in the field of policy in both the drug control and public health sectors.

Progress of Nations 2000
The Progress of Nations is an annual report published by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Each year the report helps to monitor and record "... the world's progress towards giving all children the chance to live a decent life ..." It uses as its benchmark a number of goals set out by the World Summit for Children in 1990 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This particular report focuses on a number of health issues including immunization programmes, the spread of HIV/AIDS, and also child poverty and child labour. The site includes links to text, statistical tables, videos, and photos. The report is presented in both frames and no-frames versions and also as .pdf files (available separately as individual chapters or as one large file). Adobe Acrobat Reader software will allow you to view, navigate and print PDF files.

Young People and HIV/AIDS: Opportunity in Crisis
This report is published by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and contains important new data about why young people are key to defeating the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, including results from more than 60 new national surveys. It reaffirms that we must accord top priority to investing in the well-being of young people and to engaging them in the fight against HIV/AIDS.