Epidemiological Surveillance and Consulting Department

The Epidemiological Surveillance and Consultation Department is one of the key units operating within the Outpatient Clinic of the National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID). It serves the interests of beneficiaries by supporting the implementation of activities defined under programs of international donor organizations (UN, Global Fund, AIDS InfoSvyaz, and others) coordinated by the Center.

The main functions of the Epidemiological Surveillance and Consultation Department include:

• Providing pre-test and post-test counseling for citizens and foreigners visiting the Center for HIV diagnosis.
   
• Identifying contacts of people living with HIV (partners, children, others) and testing them for HIV infection.
   
• Conducting epidemiological investigations of special HIV cases, such as infections through blood donors, mother-to-child transmission, and others.
   
• Testing and monitoring HIV prevalence among specific vulnerable groups, including labor migrants and individuals engaged in commercial and non-commercial sexual services.
   
• Issuing certificates confirming HIV-negative status to citizens following counseling and testing, based on demand.
   
• Providing psychosocial counseling and support to HIV-positive patients, their partners, family members, and other high-risk population groups.
   
• Offering counseling on pre-exposure and post-exposure prophylaxis for HIV.
   
• Providing counseling for individuals who have tested preliminary positive for HIV through rapid testing conducted by NGOs working with vulnerable groups, and organizing confirmatory testing to establish or rule out HIV infection.
   
• Collaborating with medical service organizations across Armenia to conduct epidemiological investigations of all preliminary HIV-positive cases identified during testing.