Rekart ML; International Conference on AIDS (15th : 2004 : Bangkok, Thailand).
Int Conf AIDS. 2004 Jul 11-16; 15: abstract no. WePeE6695.
British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, Canada
Issues: HIV incidence is increasing among sex workers and injection drug users in southern Vietnam where sexually transmitted infection (STI) care and STI/HIV prevention is inadequate. The goal of the Cafe Hy Vong project was to prevent HIV by managing STIs among low income sex workers and injection drug users. Description: Two locally-managed programs were established - Cafe Hy Vong and Cafe Bao Cao Su 2. Activities included free and confidential STI clinics using etiologic management, outreach peer education, condom distribution, needle exchange, education and training. An STI training curriculum in English and Vietnamese was developed and piloted. Detailed STI clinic and outreach guidelines were established. Lessons learned: (1) Separation of services - services for low income sex workers and injection drug users should be delivered separately; (2) 'Out-of-the-public-eye" - services should be delivered in a manner that does not attract attention from the public or from government agencies such as the police; (3) Multi-sectoral involvement - success requires the involvement of non-health sectors (e.g. police, tourism, social services); (4) STI capacity -the Vietnamese healthcare system is capable of implementing etiologic STI management, the use of syndromic management is not necessary in metropolitan areas; (5) Supervision - success requires on-site support and supervision and (6) Attitudes - the primary challenge for HIV prevention in Vietnam is the stigmatization of vulnerable, high risk populations such as sex workers, drug users, gay men, street youth and the poor. Recommendations: The Cafe Hy Vong model should be used to establish a coordinated network of programs in southern Vietnam and the Mekong Delta to address a rapidly escalating HIV epidemic related to the movement of sex workers between Vietnam and Cambodia.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
- Cambodia
- Cities
- Disease Outbreaks
- HIV Infections
- HIV Seropositivity
- Humans
- Incidence
- Infection
- Male
- Prostitution
- Vietnam
- organization & administration
- prevention & control
Other ID:
UI: 102284609
From Meeting Abstracts