The Symposium will focus on providing skills to health professionals and community promoters to evolve from the traditional HIV care to a comprehensive approach. Train on health concerns of the trans community: gender affirming hormone therapy and its interaction with antiretroviral therapy, how to handle non-supervised gender-affirming procedures (silicone injection and its negative implications). We will summarise the status of health rights and life expectancy of trans in LA and highlight why it is important to provide the community with updated information and strategies to educate them as the first step for prevention. Regarding STIs prevention and screening, we will focus on anal health with an overview of HPV prevalence, strategies for prevention and care. Transgender peer navigators will introduced an intervention to improve psychosocial wellbeing and its consequent impact on HIV healthcare. Panellists will share points of view of a comprehensive approach and answer questions. Sexually transmitted infections (STI) and HIV prevalence among transgender population is extremely high in LATAM, and still there are multiple barriers to optimal healthcare for this population. As in many parts of the world, gender-related stigma negatively influences how trans people access education, employment, housing, and health prevention and care and also triggers acts of dicrimination and violence towards this community. Social vulnerability combined with discriminatory practices in healthcare settings have resulted in low and late access to services and, when in care, very poor health outcomes in terms of adherence and retention have been reported. Several academics and health professional organizations, as well as trans activist organizations have called attention to these issues and stressed the need for updated knowledge for a more comprehensive approach to healthcare and the need to closely work with the community to achieve a more effective and successful strategy.

• Presentations
• Session recording (English)
• Session recording (Español)