A doctor giving consultations to an HIV patient in Hanoi (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – The Undetectable=Untransmittable or K=K (Khong phathien=Khong lay truyen) campaign was launched in Hanoi on May 3 with a trainingcourse on communications work for the campaign.
The communications work will focus on helping healthcare staff understand thecampaign so to enable them to support HIV carriers in testing and treatment.
According to Paula Morgan, Deputy Director for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as studieshave shown that persons living with HIV on successful treatment withundetectable levels of virus cannot transmit HIV to their sex partners, stigmaand discrimination towards people living with HIV should be abolished.
She said people at high risk of HIV must get tested, and receive antiretroviral(ARV) therapy soon to prevent HIV transmission.
Doctor Do Huu Thuy from the HIV/AIDS Prevention Department under the Ministryof Health said that as of December 31, an estimated 250,000 Vietnamese wereliving with HIV, most of whom were sexually transmitted and at the age ofbetween 15 and 49.
Notably, HIV-positive cases among drug addicts are increasing, especially inthe homosexual groups, he added.
In Vietnam, only 80 percent of HIV people know their health status while some70 percent of people diagnosed with HIV receive ARV treatment.-VNA
VNA
