The program will scale up “harm-reduction activities” among vulnerable and high-risk groups by distributing clean syringes and condoms, providing methadone treatment, and diagnosing and treating sexually transmitted diseases.

It will also support implementation of the National Strategy on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control through improved policy making, capacity building and monitoring activities at national and provincial levels.

The program will help Vietnam keep the HIV prevalence rate among intravenous drug users below 20 percent and among commercial sex workers below 3 percent, said Fiona Louise Lappin, head of DFID Vietnam.

Lappin said the new funds will prevent around 28,000 new infections and thus create $97 million net savings on direct treatment costs.

The fund will be pooled with $33 million from World Bank to form one joint program that expands up to 40 provinces.

“We are filling the current funding gap but expect the government to strengthen its capacity to embed effective delivery mechanisms and to mobilize additional resources to sustain HIV prevention activities by the time this program ends,” Lappin said,

Another DFID program, “Preventing HIV in Vietnam,” launched in 2003 and ending this month, has helped distribute 230 million condoms and increase access to free needles and syringes from zero in 2004 to 15 million in 2008.

Source: Thanh Nien