SEPT 3, KATHMANDU. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is to provide additional financial and technical support to Nepal in days ahead to prevent and control HIV/AIDS.

The USAID has completed different seven projects in Nepal since 1993 for the same and it has invested more than 80 million US dollars in these projects.

At a programme organised here today to commemorate the 20th anniversary of its partnership in supporting the national response to HIV/AIDS, Sheila Lutjens, Acting Mission Director of USAID Nepal, said that the USAID would provide additional economic and technical supports in the health services in the days ahead.

Different projects launched by USAID during 20 years period have reached more than 1.18 million individuals with quality HIV prevention services. Similarly, the projects diagnosed and treated nearly 92,000 individuals for Sexually Transmitted Infections, provided HIV counseling and testing services to nearly 135,000 individuals and reached nearly 19,000 HIV/AIDS infected individuals with care, support and treatment services.

Similarly, training was imparted to more than 80,000 people to reduce discriminations and social stigma related to HIV/AIDS.

Nepal is one of the 20 original focus countries under U.S. Government’s Global Health Initiative. The USAID has been providing economic and technical support continuously to prevent the HIV/AIDS seen in Nepal for the first time in 1988.

Now, there are 50,200 HIV/AIDS infected people in Nepal.On the occasion, Lutjens said that Community-based HIV programme has shown a remarkable progress in community.

Likewise, Chief of the Saath-Saath Project, Satish Raj Pandey, said that there was necessary to provide service to HIV/AIDS infected and to create awareness. Now, the programme is being launched in 33 districts.

Dr. Naresh Pratap KC, Director of National Centre for AIDS and STD Control, said that the Centre has given high-priority for controlling and preventing HIV/AIDS. RSS