Face to face with Cambodia’s HIV fighters
Channel: Science & Development Network
Date: 2015-10-23

Cambodia’s efforts in HIV prevention and treatment have shown significant results in the past ten years and the government is now setting the bar even higher. Last December, Prime Minister Hun Sen committed to stopping new HIV infections by 2020.

Thanks to heavy government investment and international aid, Cambodians now have free access to HIV tests, antiretroviral drugs and counselling. As a result, HIV new infections have dropped from 3,500 in 2005 to 1,300 in 2013.

The fight against HIV is gaining momentum, with NGOs such as Friends-International and Mith Samlanh carrying out harm reduction activities among marginalised communities such as slum dwellers and sex workers. In this audio slideshow, Didier Fontenille, director of research foundation the Pasteur Institute in Cambodia, discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the country’s HIV response.