Cambodia Expanding the Continuum of Care to Children

Approximately 123,000 Cambodians aged 15-49 are estimated to be living with HIV. An additional 12,000 (approximately 10% of the total) are children under the age of 15.2 The provision of antiretroviral treatment (ART) to people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) is a relatively new phenomenon in Cambodia. The National Strategic Response to HIV was, until 2004, primarily focused on HIV prevention thought VCCT and health education. But the advent of high level funding from the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM) has drawn attention to the need to expand and support ART services.

The Cambodian National Strategic Response to HIV/AIDS has a clearly articulated Continuum of Care (CoC) to provide HIV treatment to PLHA. The CoC has a particularly strong community component within it, but children with HIV are not currently encompassed within this structure. The Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative is committed to supporting the government of Cambodia to expand pediatric HIV/AIDS care in Cambodia as outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding between CHAI and the Ministry of Health. This concept paper is a first step to try and achieve that goal.