Lao PDR

Millennium Development Goal 6

Combat HIV AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases

HIV prevalence in the general population in Lao PDR remains low, but varies considerably between risk groups and locations. While knowledge of disease transmission is high, a large gap still exists between knowledge and desired behaviours. Correct and consistent used of condoms is low, and levels of Sexually Transmitted Infections continue to be high among service women*. Because Lao PDR is surrounded by countries with high HIV prevalence, and is experiencing an increase in mobility of its working-age population within and across its borders, the threat of an expanding HIV epidemic in the country remains real.

A large proportion of the Lao population is exposed to malaria, with an increase in the morbidity rate in the early 1990s. Since then, there has been an appreciable drop, which may be due largely to the increase in number of people sleeping under insecticide-treated bed nets. Death rates from malaria fell from 9 per 100,000 in 1990 to 0.4 in 2006. Even so, a lot of ground remains to be covered to meet the MDG target. At the same time, considerable progress has been made in tuberculosis (TB) case detection and cure, and the related MDG target seems to have been achieved by 2005.

Meeting the targets: While the prevention of new HIV infections will remain the priority in Lao PDR, care and support services, including antiretroviral treatment, need to be scaled up. The full package of services needs to be expanded and sustained among appropriate target populations. Blood transfusion services should ensure proper cross-matching, and the following of proper guidelines in administering blood and blood products. Combating malaria and TB on a sustained basis requires new drugs to fight resistant malarial parasites and new strains of tuberculosis that are multi-drug-resistant and associated with HIV infection. Availability of insecticidetreated bed nets also needs to be expanded through both Government distribution and social marketing. Funding sources for tuberculosis and malaria control require more diversification, since heavy reliance on donor funding make both programmes potentially vulnerable to reversal of their achievements.

Efforts must be made to strengthen cross-border malaria control. A need exists for early detection and effective treatment of malaria through comprehensive primary health care approaches. Community participation also is critical to ensure early detection.

* “Service women” is an overall term used for women who sell sex either for money or in-kind benefits, working in small drink shops and nightclubs, or can be contacted by clients via other means.

Update from the 2010 report Beyond the Midpoint: Achieving the Millennium Development Goals:

Lao PDR has a low prevalence of HIV, estimated at 0.1 percent. Vulnerability to the disease is high, however, given population mobility and migration to neighboring countries. The country also has a high TB prevalence and non-communicable diseases are a growing challenge.