Increase coverage of HIV and AIDS services in Myanmar

Abstract

Myanmar is experiencing an HIV epidemic documented since the late 1980s. The National AIDS Programme national surveillance ante-natal clinics had already estimated in 1993 that 1.4% of pregnant women were HIV positive, and UNAIDS estimates that at end 2005 1.3% (range 0.7–2.0%) of the adult population was living with HIV. While a HIV surveillance system has been in place since 1992, the programmatic response to the epidemic has been slower to emerge although short- and medium-terms plans have been formulated since 1990. These early plans focused on the health sector, omitted key population groups at risk of HIV transmission and have not been adequately funded. The public health system more generally is severely under-funded.By the beginning of the new decade, a number of organisations had begun working on HIV and AIDS, though not yet in a formally coordinated manner. The Joint Programme on AIDS in Myanmar 2003–2005 was an attempt to deliver HIV services through a planned and agreed strategic framework. Donors established the Fund for HIV/AIDS in Myanmar (FHAM), providing a pooled mechanism for funding and significantly increasing the resources available in Myanmar. By 2006 substantial advances had been made in terms of scope and diversity of service delivery, including outreach to most at risk populations to HIV. More organisations provided more services to an increased number of people. Services ranged from the provision of HIV prevention messages via mass media and through peers from high-risk groups, to the provision of care, treatment and support for people living with HIV. However, the data also show that this scaling up has not been sufficient to reach the vast majority of people in need of HIV and AIDS services.The operating environment constrains activities, but does not, in general, prohibit them. The slow rate of service expansion can be attributed to the burdens imposed by administrative measures, broader constraints on research, debate and organizing, and insufficient resources. Nevertheless, evidence of recent years illustrates that increased investment leads to more services provided to people in need, helping them to obtain their right to health care. But service expansion, policy improvement and capacity building cannot occur without more resources.

An approach to health system strengthening in the Union of Myanmar

“…Although impressive gains have been made in health prevention programming including HIV prevention [8], TB control [9] and immunization [10], the progress that has been made has been uneven across the country. In terms of immunization coverage for example, although overall rates are approaching 80% for most antigens nationally, there are wide variations in rates within the country, with 20% of Townships recording immunization coverage for measles at less than 50%.…”

Providing antiretroviral care in conflict settings

“…Current estimates place the generalized epidemic above 1.3% of the population and higher within at-risk subgroups [41]. Burma has traditionally invested only a small amount of resources in health, and although HIV monitoring began in 1992, current estimates are unreliable.…”

HIV Epidemic in Asia: Implications for HIV Vaccine and Other Prevention Trials

“…However, this window of opportunity may quickly narrow as increased access to prevention services improve. 78 China Figure 4 shows the geographic distribution of cumulative HIV/AIDS cases at the end of 2011. 79 Several HIV epidemic clusters have been described, illustrating the diversity of the epidemic.…”