Vo Hai Son, deputy head of Vietnam Administration of HIV/AIDS Control, speaks at the event (Photo:tiengchuong.chinhphu.vn)Hanoi (VNA) – The National Action Month for HIV/AIDSPrevention and Control 2023 will be held from November 10 to December 10 witha wide range of activities, aiming to mobilise the involvement of leaders, policymakers, service providers and the community in HIV/AIDS prevention and controlas well as increase support for people living with HIV, an official has said.
Speaking at a press conference held in Hanoi on November 9 on the occasion of World AIDS Day (December 1) andNational Action Month for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control 2023, Vo Hai Son, deputy head of VietnamAdministration of HIV/AIDS Control (VAAC) under the Ministry of Health, said seminars,running events, music galas and drawing contests will be organised during the month to raisepeople’s awareness on the disease.
Eric Dziuban, Vietnam Country Director of US Centre forDisease Control and Prevention said Vietnam is one of the leading countries in termsof public health response. Vietnam's lessons have been learned and implementedby other countries.
According to Bui Hoang Duc from VAAC, 10,219 new HIVinfections were detected in Vietnam in the first nine months of this year and1,126 people had died.
There are nearly 250,000 people living with HIV across thecountry. Infections are concentrated in southern provinces, with 60% ofnew HIV cases detected in the Mekong Delta, the Southeast, and Ho Chi MinhCity.
The rate of HIV infections in the 16-29 age group has been increasing since 2022,accounting for 50% of the total number of newly detected infections, he said, adding thatthe infection rate is also rising in the group of men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people.
In the first nine months of 2023, 177,009 HIV carriersreceived antiretroviral (ARV) therapy, meeting 80% of the designed target and thenumber of people receiving pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) treatment surpassed the target, Duc said./.
