Laos Country Profile
Laos Country Profile
Discover more about CDC’s work in Laos by viewing our detailed country profilepdf icon
Country Overview
In 2003, CDC began providing technical assistance (TA) to the Southeast Asia region using the successful Thailand national HIV program as an example. Through TA and cooperative agreements with the World Health Organization (WHO), CDC’s Asia Regional Office (ARO) helps to build host-country capacity for sustainable, country-owned programs with targeted assistance in surveillance, laboratory capacity, HIV counseling and testing, adult and pediatric HIV care and treatment quality improvement, and monitoring and evaluation of prevention of mother-to-child transmission programs.
To improve surveillance and control of TB, multidrug-resistant TB (MDR TB), and TB in persons living with HIV (PLHIV) across the region, CDC works with the Thailand National Tuberculosis Program (NTP) and other partners and has a Regional TB Technical Advisor (Medical Officer) stationed in Bangkok. Operational research focuses on answering practical questions about how to improve screening, diagnosis, and treatment of MDR TB and TB/HIV in high-burden settings. A recent multi-country study led to a simple clinical algorithm that health personnel can use to help detect TB in HIV-positive persons.
Per Capita GNI
$2,150
(2016)
Population (million)
6.76
(2016)
Under 5 Mortality
64/1,000 Live Births
(2016)
Life Expectancy
67
(2016)
Estimated HIV Prevalence
0.3%
(Ages 15-49): (2017)
Estimated AIDS Deaths
<500
(2016)
TB Treatment Success Rate
88%
(2015)
Estimated TB Incidence
175/100,000
(2016)
Estimated Orphans Due to AIDS
3,000
(2016)
TB patients with known HIV-status who are HIV-positive
6%
(2016)
Reported Number Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy (ART)
4,400
(2016)
Strategic Focus
Since 2003, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-Brazil has played a critical role in lending expertise and partnering with the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) Secretariat of Health Surveillance to promote the use of new and innovative technologies to control the country’s HIV epidemic and build sustainable programs. CDC Brazil is dedicated to building important public health and diplomatic relationships between the Governments of Brazil and the United States in health prevention and promotion.
Strengthening Public Health Platforms: CDC provides technical leadership and direct assistance to the MOH to enhance HIV programming, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), epidemiological surveillance, and laboratory services. CDC leads and supports research and trainings, knowledge exchanges, and decentralization of HIV services to the health care network through training and hands-on support.
Expanding HIV Testing and Linkage to Treatment among Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM): CDC provides technical support to strengthen the local response to HIV/AIDS. In partnership with the National Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI), AIDS and Viral Hepatitis Department, CDC-Brazil implements projects, studies and programs to introduce innovation and provide further evidence on successful approaches targeting key populations, and particularly MSM.
Key Activities and Accomplishments
HIV Testing: Collaborating with selected state and municipal health departments in Paraná and São Paulo states, in addition to a variety of civil society organizations, CDC supports HIV self-testing among MSM through distribution of oral fluid-based tests using a web-based request-and-delivery system. CDC and its partners work to increase MSM access to HIV pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis and to diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections. All communication strategies are focused on young MSM.
HIV Surveillance: CDC provides technical assistance (TA) to develop tools for outlining key stages of engagement in the continuum of HIV treatment, data collection, analysis and use for decision-making. The Curitiba Health Secretariat is developing the first ever MSM-specific continuum of care in country. CDC also provides TA to HIV prevalence estimations among key populations in Brazil.
Tuberculosis: CDC works closely with the National Tuberculosis Program (NTP) on select shared priorities. Currently, the NTP and CDC are planning a survey of catastrophic costs associated with TB as well capacity building in TB infection control and prevention.
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