'AVAHAN'-the Indian segment of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) is engaged in the prevention of

Avahan, also known as the India AIDS Initiative, was a large-scale HIV prevention program launched in 2003 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) [t1][t2]. The initiative was specifically designed to curtail the spread of HIV in India by targeting high-risk populations, including female sex workers (FSWs), men who have sex with men (MSM), transgender people, and people who inject drugs (PWID) [t4][t6]. Operating primarily in six high-prevalence states, Avahan provided a comprehensive package of interventions such as peer outreach, condom distribution, and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) [t6][t7]. The program aimed to build a scalable prevention model and catalyze best practices for replication by the Indian government and other organizations [t2][t10]. By focusing on these key populations, Avahan sought to stabilize the HIV epidemic within the general population [t4].

Sources

1. [1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214109X13700834