When the partnership was launched in 2005, the China-MSD HIV/AIDS Partnership (C-MAP) covered three counties in Liangshan Prefecture of Sichuan Province. In 2008, C-MAP expanded to cover 62 counties/districts targeting 21 million out of a total population of 87.5 million in Sichuan Province.

Focusing on the strategies developed, 7 initiatives were carried out from July 2007 to December 2008, 75 initiatives were started from 2008 and closed by June 2009, and 157 initiatives were conducted from July 2009 to December, 2010.

Key Indicators and Achievements

Strategy 1 — Mass Education
Through a variety of HIV educational programs, nearly 7.7 million people received HIV information and training, including local government officials, migrant workers, Yi ethnic community members, and middle school students.

Strategy 2 — Intervention
To reduce the infection rate among high-risk populations, more than 224,000 at-risk individuals, including injection-drug users, female sex workers, men who have sex with men, and STD clinic patients, have undergone targeted HIV-prevention interventions to encourage treatment, prevention, HIV testing and counseling through peer education initiatives.

Strategy 3 — Testing & Treatment for Provider-Initiated HIV Testing and Counseling Initiatives
To increase the diagnosis of people living with HIV/AIDS and to provide timely counseling and referral services, C-MAP supported the efforts of Liangshan's Disease Control Center to establish 214 provider-initiated HIV testing and counseling (PITC) sites in 17 counties, along with 186 testing and counseling sites for pregnant women in nine counties for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT). Nearly 570,000 people, including more than 81,000 pregnant women, have received HIV testing/counseling services through PITC and PMTCT sites.

Strategy 4 — Care & Support
C-MAP worked with county Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCs) to implement 1,169 care-and-support activities in Sichuan for people living with HIV/AIDS, and helped 20,464 HIV/AIDS patients and their families to join the "New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme" conducted by the Chinese government.

Strategy 5 — Capacity Building
To improve healthcare capacity and the quality of care provided to people living with HIV/AIDS, C-MAP has trained more than 33,000 healthcare workers. To improve laboratory capacity, management and quality control, C-MAP has supported Liangshan's Diseases Control Center to help establish a prefectural central laboratory and provide training for 160 lab workers.

Strategy 6 — Surveillance, Monitoring & Evaluation
To better understand the HIV epidemic and the behavior of targeted populations in Sichuan Province, C-MAP worked with Province/Prefecture CDCs and Sichuan University to conduct baseline surveys and HIV surveillance with nearly 87,000 participants in the targeted populations. In addition, with the support of the Sichuan Health Authority, C-MAP worked with Liangshan CDC to conduct an HIV mass screening in the most critical county of Liangshan Prefecture and had more than 77,000 county citizens tested for HIV.

Achievements
Substantial achievements have been made in providing treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS, as well as an increase in the number of patients newly enrolled in ARV treatment.

C-MAP consistently provides support for human resources in all project sites by hiring 70 project management staff across 35 counties in Sichuan as well as hiring 719 health professionals in Liangshan. These staff will be transferred to the local health system after the close of C-MAP to ensure the sustainability of the program. Health professionals (mainly village doctors) will play a vital role in ensuring CD4 testing, follow-up, and access to treatment for HIV/AIDS patients.

C-MAP is becoming a leading force for local HIV/AIDS policy making in Liangshan. Entrusted by the Ministry of Health, C-MAP is now responsible for the overall HIV/AIDS prevention and control programs in Liangshan.