Chiang Dao Hospital

Today we visited the Chiang Dao district hospital north of Chiang Mai close to the Myanmar border. This hospital serves Thai residents, native tribes people, and migrants from Myanmar. The presentation they gave us focused on the prevalence and treatment of HIV in the district. HIV has been a burden in the country, but they now have better access to antiretroviral therapy and have made advancements in patient counseling to prevent the disease. The first line treatment they use in adults is one combination capsule once daily which increases compliance compared to more complex regimens. This is not as easy with children however since they require a variety of dosing that is weight based, so many children are required to take multiple medications which can sometimes be a barrier to adherence.