Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
USIS Washington File - June 6, 2006
Cassie Duong, Washington File Staff Writer
"The 'Care and Treatment Workshop' will examine specific aspects of treatment and care that strengthen the capacity to minister to individuals who test positive for HIV," the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi says.
The training will include lectures by Vietnamese professionals as well as visiting scholars from the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine. Participants will share their own expertise and experiences through group discussions.
Vietnam's Ministry of Defense, the Military Medical Department of the Vietnam People's Army and the U.S. Pacific Command's Center of Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance jointly are sponsoring the workshop.
COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT ON PUBLIC HEALTH
Under PEPFAR, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Vietnam National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology also signed a cooperative agreement June 1 on enhancing public health capacity for HIV prevention and care.
According to the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, the new agreement seeks to:
ò Develop the national HIV laboratory capacity to support HIV testing and establish a national quality-assurance and quality-control system for HIV laboratories;
ò Strengthen the national HIV/AIDS surveillance system for routine HIV/AIDS surveillance, including drug-resistance surveillance, surveillance for new HIV infections or incidence surveillance, surveillance in sentinel groups and integrated behavioral and biologic surveillance; and
ò Support Vietnam's Ministry of Health in implementing the national action plan for surveillance, monitoring and evaluation to ensure HIV/AIDS program effectiveness and quality; and
ò Assist in policy development and program planning.
OTHER PEPFAR ACTIVITIES
PEPFAR is the largest commitment by any nation for an international health initiative dedicated to a single disease. The plan, initiated by President Bush in 2003, is a five-year, $15 billion, multifaceted approach to combating HIV/AIDS in more than 120 countries. (See fact sheet)
Some of the work funded by PEPFAR has included workshops focusing on advocacy, counseling and laboratory techniques. The plan also has facilitated laboratory renovations.
Anticipated activities under PEPFAR in the coming year between the United States and Vietnam include HIV/AIDS prevention and care workshops targeting additional practitioners.
Other countries that have received HIV/AIDS funding under PEPFAR are Botswana, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Zambia, Uganda, South Africa, Tanzania, Rwanda, Nigeria, Namibia, Mozambique, Haiti, Kenya and Guyana.
According to a fact sheet, PEPFAR has helped 561,000 individuals in 15 countries with a variety of treatments that include training for clinical and laboratory personnel, counselors for treatments, physical infrastructure and distribution logistics, and management systems for drugs and other commodities.
The press releases on the June 7-9 workshop and the the new cooperative agreement are available on the Web site of the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi.
More Information on the Center of Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance is available on the center's Web site.
For more information on U.S. policies, see HIV/AIDS.
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