PRESS RELEASE

June 26, 2009

The United States Supports Military HIV/AIDS Program in Da Nang

An HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment program was officially launched at Military Hospital 17 in Da Nang City on June 26, 2009, expanding the United States support to the military medical system of Vietnam. The program, which is financially and technically supported by the U.S. Department of Defense under the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), will provide various HIV/AIDS services including: blood safety; voluntary counseling and testing; antiretroviral treatment; palliative care; and referral laboratory testing. These services will be available to both military and civilian populations from Da Nang and neighboring provinces.

The opening ceremony was attended by senior officials from the U.S. Embassy, Military Zone 5, the Military Medicine Department (Vietnam Ministry of Defense), the Da Nang Department of Health, and Military Hospital 17.

The collaboration between the U.S. Department of Defense and the Military Medicine Department is a successful model of a military-to-military medical program through resources made available from PEPFAR. Since 2004, the United States Government has provided more than $320 million to comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention, care, treatment, and support activities in Vietnam.