HIV/Aids policies 'make inroads'

[reader]

From Bangkok Post

About 94.6% of HIV-infected patients are receiving free anti-retroviral drugs under the universal healthcare coverage scheme, 77% of whom have no trace of the virus in their blood, the National Health Security Office (NHSO) said on Wednesday on World Aids Day.

Of all the 305,493 people who are living with HIV/Aids and have registered under the healthcare scheme for treatment in the fiscal year ending Sept 30, 289,116 (94.6%) have been receiving anti-retroviral treatments, said Dr Jadej Thammathacharee, secretary-general of the NHSO.

Of those HIV patients, 81% have cut their viral load by continuing their treatments and 77% now have no traces of HIV detected in their blood, he said.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2225139/hiv-aids-policies-make-inroads

[Lonnie]

Should make the United States proud that our generous help is being well used in Thailand. I'll give America a well deserved pat on the back.

https://www.usaid.gov/asia-regional/hiv-and-aids

• The USAID-supported model of community-led services has been well recognized in Thailand and internationally resulting from its significant contribution to more than 50 percent of the national HIV service uptake in Thailand.  It has become a model recommended by PEPFAR for adoption in other countries in Asia.
   
• USAID worked with local champions, including the Thai Red Cross AIDS Research Centre to scale up PrEP in Thailand and support other countries in the region. More than 50 percent of Thai PrEP users are attributed to the USAID-supported PrEP activities, such as PrEP Express, PrEP in the City campaigns and PrEP-15 for more affordable PrEP services for key populations.
   
• USAID established a new partnership for sexual and reproductive health and HIV services in Bangkok with a private hospital group, Piyavate Hospital Group in Bangkok, to increase access to HIV/AIDS and transgender health services.  It will support expansion of health service options for key populations and diversify domestic funding arrangements as well as promote regional approaches to support rapid scale up of HIV interventions.