STD Management for HIV and AIDS Prevention - Path

introduction
In 1992, the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID) authorized the AIDS Surveillance and Education Project
(ASEP), designed to prevent the rapid increase of human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome
(AIDS) in the Philippines by reducing HIV and STD risk behaviors and
by promoting collaboration between nongovernmental organizations
(NGOs) and city health departments. ASEP was faced with one primary
challenge: mobilizing Filipinos, from the highest levels of politics to the
most vulnerable people, to recognize that despite apparently low levels of
HIV, Philippines was, and remains, at risk of a rapid spread of HIV. As a
low-prevalence country, the Philippines’ challenge is to keep risk perception
elevated despite low prevalence.
ASEP, a ten-year, $19 million project, began in 1993 with two
components. The surveillance component, including HIV Sentinel
Surveillance and Behavioral Surveillance Systems, was carried out by the
Department of Health (DOH) and local government partners with
funding through a grant from USAID to the World Health Organization
(WHO). The education component was carried out by Program for
Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) and local partner NGOs
through a cooperative agreement with USAID. [1] By the end of the
project, surveillance activities were being carried out in ten cities, and
STD management for HIV and AIDS prevention
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