In 2005, Merck & Co., Inc. and the Government of China established the first large-scale comprehensive public/private partnership known as the China-MSD HIV/AIDS Partnership (C-MAP), to address HIV and AIDS prevention, patient care, treatment and support, in support of "China's Action Plan for Reducing & Preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS 2006-2010." The partners introduced the program in Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province, with the aim of developing a model that could be replicated in other provinces. The Merck Company Foundation has committed USD 30 million to support this partnership over five years. The Government of China, through the leadership of the Ministry of Health, is providing staff, facilities and equipment. C-MAP is led by two co-national directors and has project offices in Beijing, Sichuan Province and Liangshan Prefecture.

From 2007 through 2008, C-MAP launched 82 initiatives in support of the following six core strategies:

Raising awareness and reducing discrimination among target populations through training and education;

Deploying comprehensive, integrated risk-education approaches to reduce HIV transmission in high-risk populations;

Establishing a service network to provide consecutive treatment, care and support to HIV and AIDS patients;

Providing support to orphans and families affected by HIV to alleviate negative social and economic impact;

Building capacity of health care workers and organizations and developing new anti-HIV strategies and techniques;

Strengthening monitoring and evaluation systems, data usage and follow-up outcomes to put intervention strategies into practice and apply best practices in a timely manner.

When the partnership launched in 2005, C-MAP covered three countries in Liangshan Prefecture of Sichuan Province. In 2008, C-MAP expanded to cover 62 countries/districts targeting 21 million out of 87.5 million total population in Sichuan Province.

As C-MAP continues to reach its goals, an important task will be to disseminate lessons learned to other health officials in China and other countries combating the pandemic