U.S., U.N. Launch HIV/AIDS Education Program for Tajikistan Soldiers

The United Nations and the United States on Tuesday launched a six-month program aimed at fighting HIV/AIDS among members of Tajikistan's military, the Associated Press reports. The program, which will be funded by the United States, will include sexually transmitted disease and HIV/AIDS education programs for 16,000 soldiers and officers, according to a statement from the U.S. embassy in Tajikistan. Officials at the launch of the project distributed 200,000 condoms -- provided by the United Nations Population Fund -- to Tajik soldiers, according to the Associated Press. U.S. Ambassador to Tajikistan Richard Hoagland said at a ceremony launching the project at the Tajik Defense Ministry, "Knowledge is the greatest weapon in the fight" against HIV/AIDS. Nizomiddin Kiyomov, head of the ministry's health department, said that no HIV or AIDS cases had been reported among Tajik soldiers, but he added that "no one is guaranteed against any disease, so it is better to prevent it than to deal with it when it arrives" (Associated Press, 3/9).