On the eve of World AIDS Day, celebrated on December 1, a meeting was held at Odesa City Hall with representatives from the City Center for the Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS and non-governmental organizations.

Amid the ongoing war, Odesa is ensuring the continuity of medical services related to HIV and tuberculosis.

HIV testing is provided free of charge in all city hospitals, primary healthcare centers (PHC), consultative-diagnostic centers, maternity hospitals, and women's clinics, as well as in the 'Trust' offices of the City AIDS Center. Rapid tests allow for determining HIV status within 10-15 minutes.

Patients with a positive test result are referred to the City AIDS Center for further examination and necessary treatment by multidisciplinary teams including medical professionals and social workers. High-quality antiretroviral therapy is provided free of charge and enables people living with HIV to lead long, fulfilling lives without posing a risk to their partners and to have healthy children.

In the first 10 months of 2025, 34,792 patients underwent HIV testing in Odesa's medical institutions, leading to the first-time identification of 301 positive cases. Out of the total tests, 19,140 patients were examined by PHC doctors.

Tuberculosis screening is conducted by family doctors through questionnaires. This year, primary care physicians identified 702 cases of suspected tuberculosis. Patients were referred for additional examinations, during which pulmonary tuberculosis was confirmed in 542 individuals, including 331 cases of active tuberculosis.

Meeting participants discussed ways to enhance collaboration between medical institutions and civil organizations for more effective referral of patients with positive HIV tests to specialists.

Furthermore, all interested staff and visitors to the Administrative Services Center were offered free anonymous testing for HIV and viral hepatitis by the City AIDS Center's medical staff.