DUSHANBE, June 19, Asia-Plus  -- A three-day seminar for officers of penitentiary system on basics of the antiretroviral therapy (ART) began in Khujand, the capital of the northern Sughd province on June 18.  

The seminar is discussing issues of social maintenance during the transition period for officers of pilot penal colonies at the penitentiary system department within the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) as well as officers from the social bureau of the penitentiary system within the Sughd justice directorate.  

According to Ms. Saodat Oripova, trainer with AIDS Foundation East-West, AFEW, the seminar is conducted under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the MoJ and AFEW organizations and the Tajik Branch of Open Society Institute/Assistance Foundation (OSI/AF).  

The main objective of the seminar is to train officers of the penal system in realization of the ART basics among HIV-infected prison inmates.  

Standard antiretroviral therapy (ART) consists of the use of at least three antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to maximally suppress the HIV virus and stop the progression of HIV disease.  Huge reductions have been seen in rates of death and suffering when use is made of a potent ARV regimen.

 AIDS Foundation East-West (AFEW) is a Dutch organization.  It was founded on January 4 2001 with support from Médecins Sans Frontières – Holland (MSF-H), the Open Society Institute - New York (OSI), and the Dutch government.  

AFEW’s mission is to make a major contribution to the reduction of the impact of HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) by: taking an innovative and pro-active approach to developing, implementing and promoting tools for effective HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support, designed for and appropriate to the specific conditions of EECA; targeting the younger generation of the region, in particular those engaging in risky behavior; cooperating closely with national governmental and non-governmental structures to boost local coping capacities and to advocate for appropriate action; and strengthening East-West engagement by exchanging knowledge and people via program activities and stimulating a committed response.