Project’s Newsletter

JICA - Major Infectious Diseases Control Project

20th March, 2009 Volume 1, Issue 3

Project Purposes Activities of JICA—MIDCP • National AIDS Program is As a relief and rehabilitation programme of the cy- strengthened. clone "Nargis", the project reconstructed a new TB labora- tory building in Tarmwe Township, Division. The • TB control in Yangon cost for the building is not so high, but we hope that the and Mandalay value of the building will be much greater than this because Divisions is more than 200 TB suspects will be diagnosed every year improved. without paying their money for their transportation to other far facilities. The handing over ceremony was successfully • National malaria held on 6th March, 2009 at the present of both donor and control is recipient sides. strengthened. (Handing over ceremony of TB Laboratory Building in Tarmwe Township, Yangon Division)

Office Addresses & Contact Numbers (1) HIV/AIDS JICA-MIDCP & th JICA-MIDCP (HIV/AIDS) The blood donors who have repeatedly donated their blood 50 times or more often are gathered once a year in Yangon. They all are regular, voluntary, non remunerated blood donor. The No (73-A1), Pyay Road, Blood Donor Association Committee established the National West Quarter, Blood Donor Commemoration Day, which is usually held on , 14th December, in recognition of their great contribution. Yangon, Phone: 951 - 216253, 225082 Since 2005, JICA-MIDCP has supported blood safety Fax: 951- 216513 activities implemented by National Blood Center, especially (2) aiming to secure the safe blood transfusion with completely JICA-MIDCP (TB) HIV free. Moreover, the project provided township hospitals National TB Program with test kits for Hepatitis B Virus and Hepatitis C Virus for emergency. Such activities contribute to protect innocent Behind Neuro Medical Unit, (Chief Representative from JICA-Myanmar is receiving Bogyoke Aung San Road, people from being infected with pathogenic agents. the appreciation Certificate on 14th December, 2008 Blood Donor Commemoration Day) Latha Township, Yangon, Myanmar Provision of laboratory equipment is also one of the Phone: 951 - 380951 main components in HIV control activity. In addition to Fax : 951 - 380951 regular supply of approximate 65,000 HIV tests, the major (3) equipment necessary in performing HIV testing is also being JICA-MIDCP (Malaria) provided. The picture shows one of scenes that the project is Corner of BPI Lane & handing over some essential consumables which are carried Bayint Naung Lane on by a Japanese expert to the counter parts in the fastest Gyogone, , way. Yangon, Myanmar A JICA expert does not provide only the official Phone: 951 - 644212 (JICA Experts handed over the items which they support from Japanese Government but also important brought along with their visit to officials from Fax: 951 - 644212 equipment as her personal donation. counterpart) JICA—MIDCP

We’ re on the web! Volume 1, Issue 3 http://www.jica.go.jp/myanmar/activities/gipro02.html “Project’s Newsletter will be produced quarterly.”

Tuberculosis The Prevalence Survey conducted in Yangon Division, 2006, revealed that the private Outputs of Each Component practitioner is the key to early detection of infectious TB cases because most TB suspects visit the (HIV/AIDS) private sectors first. Base on this, Public Private Partnership (PPP) 1. Blood safety for HIV is – DOTS programme has been jointly implementing in Yangon and enhanced. Mandalay with support of JICA. 2. Quality Assurance of HIV Dr. Okado, Short Term Expert on TB visited some PPP test is improved. – DOTS areas of JICA-MIDCP, Myanmar Medical Association 3. Capacity of National AIDS Program is im- (MMA) and Population Services International (PSI). A research proved. protocol for National Tuberculosis Programme on PPP - DOTS

(Tuberculosis) will be guided by his findings from the fields. (Record of Prevalence Survey by Dr. Okado) 1. Capacity for program management and epide- Mr. Hoshino, Short Term Expert on TB X-Ray led the miological data manage- ment for TB control is training course on "X-Ray Units of Survey Teams for National TB strengthened. Prevalence Survey". He shared the important updated knowledge 2. TB laboratory services of radiography with radiographers and X-Ray technicians. The are improved. lecture and practice he delivered on how to operate X-Ray 3. Monitoring and supervi- equipment and processor will lead the participants to take a high sory capability for TB control is strengthened. quality chest X-ray during the prevalence survey in the whole 4. Public Private Partner- (Practical presentation by Mr. Hoshino) Myanmar in 2009. ship is established in the selected sites. Malaria 5. Communication and Review workshop is one of the important activities for advocacy for TB control is promoted. Malaria control. The project successfully conducted the review workshop in two targeted project site areas of Bago Division in (Malaria) 1. Community based ma- close cooperation with Vector Borne Disease Control team, laria control program is Forestry Department, and the community people. As the effectively introduced in achievement, the workshop bore the inter-sectoral cooperation selected areas. concept and strengthened the collaborative activities among the 2. Collaboration between organizations concerned in order to fight against Malaria. communities and health facilities is improved in Moreover, the future guidelines on township based malaria (Review Workshop on JICA-MIDCP’s Malaria Con- selected areas. control activities were come out with from the discussion. trol Activity Photo) 3. System for prevention The project directly distributed a total of 2,047 Insecticide Treated Net (ITN) for malaria and management of epi- prevention to the communities of hyper-endemic areas with malaria: eight forest taungyar camps, one demics is established. 4. Epidemiological analysis elephant camp and one village inside the Bago Yoma. ITN, which is treated with insecticide to keep system is improved. the mosquitoes away from the bed, is very effective in preventing 5. 5. Regional collaborative malaria infection at night. activities are strength- Along with ITN distributions, a series of survey such as ened. 6. Operational and applied so called malariometric survey (including antibody test and spleen field research effectively survey), behavior change communication (BCC) and entomological contribute for outputs. survey was conducted to grasp the real situations under hyper- endemic areas with malaria. (Record of (ITN) Distribution in Bago Division)