U.S. Embassy gives HIV/AIDs prevention material to Lao People’s Army
On the eve of World AIDS day, the U.S. Embassy continued its strong support for HIV/AIDS prevention efforts in Lao PDR by providing $42,303 U.S. dollars worth of HIV/AIDS/STI peer education and prevention materials to the Lao People’s Army and the Ministry of Health.
(from left to right) U.S. Defense Attache LTC James McAden, CHAS Director Chansy Phimphachnh, and LTC Dr Khampai Phansilit of MMD pose for a photo after the ceremony.
The donation was received by the Centre for HIV/AIDS/ STI of the Ministry of Health and the HIV/AIDS Prevention Unit, Military Medical Department, Ministry of National Defense.
The ceremony took place on Nov. 29 in the presence of Dr Chansy Phimphachanh, Director of CHAS; Lt. Col. Khampai Phansilith, Deputy Director of the MMD; Lt. Col. James McAden, United States Defense Attache to Laos; and programme management staff from CHAS, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of National Defense, and the U.S. Embassy.
All of the items provided to the Military Medical Department of the Ministry of National Defense will assist in continued implementation of the ongoing cooperation on HIV/AIDS prevention between CHAS, the Military Medical Department and the U.S. Embassy. This will enable the Military Medical Department and CHAS to extend their education programme on HIV/AIDS prevention to military units throughout the Lao PDR.
The goal of the programme is to provide peer education to all military personnel on preventing the spread of HIV/AIDs, and to provide assistance to implement a robust counseling and testing programme throughout the Lao People’s Army, ultimately preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS/STI.
This HIV/AIDS Prevention Programme with CHAS and the Lao People’s Army is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense HIV/AIDS Prevention Programme, and is part of the continuing partnership between the U.S. Embassy, the U.S. Pacific Command, the Ministry of Health, and the Military Medical Department of the Lao People’s Army to address pressing health issues in the Lao PDR.
In addition to these programs, the U.S. also contributed $1.25 million in 2011 to HIV/AIDS prevention and mitigation efforts in Lao PDR through the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) and the U.S. Centres for Disease Control.
The theme of this year’s World AIDS day is “Getting to Zero,” meaning zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. This campaign aims to build on progress reported in the 2011 report by the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), which showed that new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths have fallen to the lowest levels since the peak of the epidemic. New HIV infections were reduced by 21% since 1997, and deaths from AIDS-related illnesses decreased by 21% since 2005.
