Is the new strategic plan circulating yet? Or is this just a teaser?

PMTCT coverage is measured in the number of townships. That is meaningless.

How "many general practitioners provide ART at their clinics despite having no formal training on ART management."?

[him] moderator

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Bold HIV plan aims to slash new infections
By Khin Myat
January 10 - 16, 2011

THE new National Strategic Plan for HIV aims to cut new infections by more than 70 percent over the next five years, an official from United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) said at a workshop late last month.

The plan was developed over the past year by all stakeholders involved in the HIV response in Myanmar.

Dr Khin Zar Li Aye, a UNAIDS monitoring and evaluation officer, said the plan aimed to cut new infections to less than 5000 by 2015, primarily through education programs.

According to UNAIDS data, 237,684 people in Myanmar were living with HIV/AIDS in 2009, with 17,566 estimated AIDS deaths and 17,101 new infections.

The plan, which runs from 2011 to the end of 2015, also targets an 80pc increase in the number of people on life-saving antiretroviral treatment (ART) and a similar increase in the number of HIV-infected women receiving antiretroviral prophylaxis therapy to reduce the risk of mother-to-children transmission.

Presently only 21,000 people receive ART, while 74,000 are in need of treatment.

She said National Strategic Plan would be published in English and Myanmar between March and April.

The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is the main funding partner for the plan, Dr Khin Zar Li Aye said. In November 2009, the Global Fund announced it would provide funding of up to US$46.5 million for HIV projects in Myanmar in 2011 and 2012 and this could rise to $142 million if the HIV grant is extended to the maximum five years.

She credited the 2006-2010 plan – Myanmar’s first – with several notable achievements, including a higher awareness and open discussion on sensitive issues of sex work, men who have sex with men, drug use and needle and syringe exchange for injecting drugs users.

“Before, spreading needles and syringes among injecting drug users was a problem because people thought we were encouraging drug use. Today, many societies accept that it is an important technique for reducing HIV infections.”

Dr Khin Zar Li Aye said HIV prevalence among those aged 15 to 24 years had declined from 1.29pc to 1.26pc and this reflected safer sex practices, young people in school having access to reproductive health information and the success of HIV education through a life skills curriculum. The proportion of women reached through the workplace rose from 22pc in 2007 to 54pc in 2009, while Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMCT) coverage increased from 89 to 145 townships.

There was a major decline in HIV prevalence among female sex workers from 2006 to 2010, from 33.5pc to 9.1pc, as well as smaller declines among men who have sex with men (29.3pc to 22.3pc) and injecting drug users (42.5pc to 34pc).

Dr Khin Zar Li Aye conceded, however, that there were also some gaps in the first plan.

She added that comprehensive and user friendly services, including counselling and ART, were not available nationwide and referral remains weak. Stigma and discrimination towards at-risk groups remains and despite increased access to ART 71pc of those in need of treatment do not receive it.

Dr Khin Zar Li Aye added that many general practitioners provide ART at their clinics despite having no formal training on ART management.

“There is a great need for training and monitoring performance of all service providers, not only [general practitioners].”

http://www.mmtimes.com/2011/news/557/news55702.html