About us

WHO’s Department for HIV, Tuberculosis (TB), Hepatitis, and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), provides global leadership towards ending these epidemics, ensuring that every person has equitable access to highest-quality people-centred scientific evidence and services, regardless of who they are or where they live. The Department works with Member States and external partners to develop and implement evidence-based normative guidance and standards, leveraging data and science, to ensure access to the latest health innovations across the full continuum of public health, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care. Furthermore, the Department collaborates across all 3 levels of WHO and with Member States and partners, to safeguard and expand access to essential services for HIV, TB, hepatitis, STIs and their determinants including for key and vulnerable populations, with the engagement of key multisectoral stakeholders and communities, while contributing to strengthening health systems, enhancing health and well-being and saving lives.

The Department has 4 units and a Director's Office. The scope of each unit is outlined below:

Prevention, Diagnosis, Treatment and Care (PDT)

The Prevention, Diagnosis, Treatment and Care (PDT) Unit leads the development and dissemination of WHO normative guidance across the full continuum of HIV, TB, hepatitis and STI services. The Unit develops GRADE based guidelines and implementation guidance on testing and diagnostics, prevention, treatment and care for adults, adolescents and children. This includes guidance on advanced HIV disease and on TB prevention and care, as well as support to country preparedness for the introduction of new TB vaccines. Through its work, the Unit supports the application of high-quality evidence to strengthen national policies and programmes and to improve access to effective and comprehensive services across disease areas and population groups.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Strategic Information (MSE)

The Monitoring, Evaluation and Strategic Information (MSE) Unit leads WHO’s work on data collection, surveillance, analysis and reporting for HIV, TB, hepatitis and STIs. The Unit coordinates global and country level data collection and produces key reports, including the Global TB Report and Global Hepatitis Report. The Unit also develops normative guidance and tools to measure disease burden and to strengthen surveillance and programmatic use of data at national and subnational levels. Through strategic engagement with Member States and partners, the Unit supports burden estimation, customized analyses and WHO-wide data work through data hub and spoke approaches.

People-centred Services, Key Populations and Comorbidities (SPC)

The People‑centred Services, Key Populations and Comorbidities (SPC) Unit focuses on 3 interrelated areas of work. It develops and disseminates normative guidance and tools to address the needs of key and vulnerable populations, using a life course approach and providing specialized technical support for adaptation and implementation. The Unit also leads work on HIV, TB, hepatitis and STI associated comorbidities and drivers, including mental health, noncommunicable diseases, TB HIV, undernutrition and related lung conditions. In addition, the Unit develops normative guidance and tools on strategic planning and prioritization, programme reviews and service delivery models, including primary health care integration, quality of care, community engagement and elimination of mother-to-child transmission, and provides technical support for implementation.

Cross Cutting Workstreams (CCT)

The Cross Cutting Workstreams Unit provides strategic leadership, political dialogue and advocacy to advance the implementation of global health sector strategies and disease specific strategies for HIV, TB, hepatitis and STIs. It strengthens partnerships with key stakeholders, including civil society and global partners, and promotes knowledge sharing and coordinated action. The Unit supports multisectoral collaboration and accountability, contributes to effective strategy implementation, and advances engagement on investments, financing and access to accelerate progress towards the elimination of HIV, TB, viral hepatitis and STIs.