PRESS RELEASE

July 24, 2008

The U.S. Government Supports Opening of New Clinic for People Living with HIV/AIDS

(Hanoi – July 24) A new Outpatient and Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) Clinic for people living with HIV/AIDS opened yesterday in Nghe An province. The Clinic is supported by a $238,000 grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). It will provide comprehensive treatment, care and support services, including antiretroviral treatment to people living with HIV/AIDS in five districts. It will support home-based care services to people living with HIV/AIDS, orphans, other vulnerable children, and families, and will provide training to home caregivers and in preventive services.

The Clinic has already seen the registration of 16 clients, the provision of VCT services to 88 clients; and the provision of home-based care services to 14 people living with HIV/AIDS and vulnerable children. The project target is to provide 100 people living with HIV/AIDS with antiretroviral treatment, 120 orphans and vulnerable children with care and treatment services, 1,100 clients counseled, 900 clients tested for HIV, and major outreach to other at-risk groups through extensive community contacts.

The PEPFAR program in Vietnam focuses on critical intervention for HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support. The PEPFAR budget for Vietnam for Fiscal Year 2008 is $88 million.

###