Task Force for the Urgent Response to the Epidemics of Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Eastern Europe and Central Asia : report on the second meeting of the Task Force supported by the WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO/EURO) and the Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS), Vilnius, Lithuania 22-23 September 1998

Abstract

At this second meeting of the Task Force, the participants shared information on the situation concerning sexually transmitted diseases (‎STDs)‎ and on partners' activities in the Region, particularly in the Russian Federation. A discussion on the potential for national coordination of international assistance concluded that the government had ultimate responsibility for such coordination. The discussion brought to the participants' attention the need for a national strategic plan that would rationalize international and national inputs and serve as a channel for the work of the Task Force at country level. The Task Force could assist by serving as a channel for the international exchange of information that would help identify gaps, overlapping and inconsistencies. The participants discussed the potential for better coordinating or integrating STD services with other health services, particularly those concerned with women's reproductive health. It was agreed that introducing STD services into the primary health care package would help to place STD services on the health care reform agenda and offer better prospects of acceptability and sustainability in the long run