Lao PDR: UNGASS Country Progress Report 2010

Lao People’s Democratic Republic is unique in its HIV situation, and can be considered as the only country in the Greater Mekong Region that has maintained a low HIV prevalence in the general population. However Lao PDR’s low prevalence does not mean low risk. As Laos’ commitment to economic expansion transitions the country from “a landlocked to a land‐linked country” the risk to HIV vulnerabilities is evident. Increased mobility across borders coupled with the existing sex worker‐client vulnerabilities and the several emerging high‐risk groups, places Lao PDR on a continued alert of a new HIV threat.