Lalitpur, November 20:

Even though Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) amplify the risk of HIV transmission, the HIV programme has washed STIs off the national agenda, states the STI programme review.

Findings of the review were disseminated here today at a programme organised jointly by the National Centre for AIDS and STD Control (NCASC) and Global Fund, WHO.

“In Nepal, STI is not evenly spread throughout the country, it is higher in some population such as sex workers, men who have sex with men, injecting drug users, prison inmates, mobile populations and adolescents who do not have access to adequate health care services,” said Dr Penny Miller, regional senior technical officer, Family Health International.

“Hence, the concentration should be more on identification of STI group and providing selective mass treatment,” said Dr Miller.

\She stressed the need to effectively implement the Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring (ARM) to control STI. The then government had adopted the ARM in 2003.

A recent study conducted by the UNFPA/IOM in four districts showed an incidence of 9.4 per cent of Trichomoniasis among women of reproductive age group.