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Lao Launches Project to Combat HIV, Tuberculosis, Malaria in Bokeo

This Week

On 6 December, the Ministry of Health in Laos launched a EUR 3 million (approximately USD 3.17 million)  health initiative in Bokeo Province to tackle HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria. 

Supported by the French government through L’Initiative and Expertise France, and implemented by the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development with backing from the French Agency for Development , the three-year project also spans Thailand. It aims to enhance disease prevention, food security, and livelihoods, particularly for vulnerable groups in Bokeo.

The French Ambassador to Laos, Siv-Leng Chhuor, highlighted that EUR 2 million (about USD 2.11 million) from L’Initiative would focus on improving healthcare access and training public health workers in collaboration with civil society groups like CHIAS. The project seeks to integrate services for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria while promoting shared governance and inclusive data monitoring.

Minister of Health,  Bounfeng Phommalaysith, emphasized the province’s unique challenges, including high infection rates, ethnic diversity, and its geographic setting, as reasons for prioritizing disease control in the region. The initiative is aligned with Laos’ goal to eliminate these diseases by 2030.

Meanwhile, Lao Deputy Minister of Health, Phayvanh Keopaseuth, reported that from January to September this year, 1,523 people in Laos were identified as living with HIV. Notably, 53 percent of these cases involved individuals aged 15 to 29.

The United Nations (UN) projects that the HIV infection rate in Laos will increase to 0.42 percent in 2024, compared to 0.39 percent in 2023. Since 1990, an estimated 20,000 people in the country, primarily aged 15-49, have contracted the virus. Currently, 12,803 individuals nationwide are receiving antiretroviral treatment.

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