Myanmar to work for prevention and control of HIV/AIDS

Myanmar will work closely with regional and international partners for prevention and control of HIV/AIDS in the country, official media reported Saturday. Nationwide comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention and care activities including community home-based care for AIDS patients and their families are being implemented, said the New Light of Myanmar. In order to minimize stigma and discrimination, attitudes towards PLHIV (people living with HIV) and their families as well as to provide basic and correct information on HIV/AIDS, prevention, treatment, care and support activities are being implemented systematically for the community with special emphasis on men and women of reproductive age. Multisetoral HIV prevention, and care activities are being implemented with related Ministries, UN Agencies, nilateral organization,international NGOs national NGOs, the report said. National response to HIV/AIDS is currently being implemented with guidelines given by the multi-sectoral National AIDS committee which has been formed since 1989,and also in accordance with the National Strategic Plan on HIV/AIDS (2006-2010)developed in a participatory approach with various stakeholders. The next National Strategic Plan on HIV/AIDS (2011-2015) has also been developed through coordinated efforts of implementing partners. Meanwhile,the need for ART in Myanmar is estimated to be more than 125,000 in 2012. In Myanmar, ART, which started since 2005, has covered 45 hospitals for adult and 28 hospitals for paediatrics. In 2011, about 40,000 AIDS patients have been treated for ART. Myanmar-Thailand joint Workplan on Disease Surveillance, Prevention and Control at the Border Areas for 2011-2012 has been successfully developed in September 2010. Myanmar has been fighting against HIV and AIDS for more than two decades since the first HIV case was reported in 1988 and the first AIDS case in 1991.