KO MYINT THEIN
PLHIV NETWORK VOLUNTEER LEADER, MYANMAR
Ko Myint Thein received treatment, support and counselling for TB and HIV through The Union’s IHC clinic in Chauk, Myanmar. He now lives a healthy life and volunteers at the clinic to support other people living with HIV.
In 2005, Myanmar’s HIV epidemic was recognised as one of the most serious in Asia. There was little funding for HIV treatment or prevention. That same year, The Union began to treat people co-infected with TB-HIV in Mandalay. This became the IHC Programme. From small beginnings – treating 190 people in the first year – the IHC model has become a key component of Myanmar’s national HIV strategy. There are now 44,000 people enrolled in the programme, across five regions of the country.