The rate of HIV carriers in the community is controlled below 0.3 percent - Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)HCMCity (VNA) – Nearly 13,000 people living with HIV nationwide have been provided with Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) service over the lasttwo years, helping to control HIV infections in the community.
The information was announced at a workshop jointlyheld by the Vietnam Administration forHIV/AIDS Control (VAAC) under the Ministry of Health and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the USAID PATH Healthy Markets project in Ho Chi Minh City onNovember 3.
Associate Prof. Dr.Nguyen Hoang Long, Director of the VAAC, said Vietnam has achieved remarkableachievements in preventing and controlling HIV/AIDS when the rate of HIVcarriers in the community has been controlled below 0.3 percent, and the numberof new cases and deaths from AIDS has also gradually decreased every year.
However, he noted that the rate of those tested positive for HIV among men whohave sex with men (MSM) have rapidly increased in recent years, to over 10percent at present from only about 2 percent in 2010.
Vietnam is one of the firstcountries in the world to apply the PrEP programme. It is providing the servicefor more than 10,000 customers in the country.
PrEPhelps to reduce between 95-98 percent of the risk of infecting HIV in the community, Long said, adding that the community'sresponse to PrEP has been very positive.
Vietnam is striving to have about 30 percent or 60,000 people in the MSM communityusing PrEP by 2025, and the rate is hoped to increase to 40 percent by 2030,Long said.
LopaBasu, a senior technical advisor from the USAID, attributed the success of theprogramme to strong global campaigns and diversification of services, sayingthat the PrEP service has been providing in public, private and communityclinics.
The USAIDis committed to continue cooperation with Vietnam in realising its AIDS eliminationgoal by 2030, she said.
Since 2015, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has stronglyrecommended PrEP as an additional prevention choice for people at substantialrisk of HIV.
The programme was launched for the first time in Vietnam inearly 2017 and now it is implemented in 26 provinces and cities nationwide./.
However, he noted that the rate of those tested positive for HIV among men whohave sex with men (MSM) have rapidly increased in recent years, to over 10percent at present from only about 2 percent in 2010.
Vietnam is one of the firstcountries in the world to apply the PrEP programme. It is providing the servicefor more than 10,000 customers in the country.
PrEPhelps to reduce between 95-98 percent of the risk of infecting HIV in the community, Long said, adding that the community'sresponse to PrEP has been very positive.
Vietnam is striving to have about 30 percent or 60,000 people in the MSM communityusing PrEP by 2025, and the rate is hoped to increase to 40 percent by 2030,Long said.
LopaBasu, a senior technical advisor from the USAID, attributed the success of theprogramme to strong global campaigns and diversification of services, sayingthat the PrEP service has been providing in public, private and communityclinics.
The USAIDis committed to continue cooperation with Vietnam in realising its AIDS eliminationgoal by 2030, she said.
Since 2015, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has stronglyrecommended PrEP as an additional prevention choice for people at substantialrisk of HIV.
The programme was launched for the first time in Vietnam inearly 2017 and now it is implemented in 26 provinces and cities nationwide./.
VNA
