US continues to work with Vietnam in HIV prevention

Hanoi (VNA) - The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) continues to partner with Vietnam through financial support and technical assistance to ensure that all target groups of workers can access essential HIV services regardless of where they live or work.

This will help Vietnam achieve an HIV-free generation and a healthy workforce, Eric Dziuban, US CDC Country Director in Vietnam, said at a workshop on disseminating instructions on HIV/AIDS prevention and control to workers, held by the Vietnam Authority on HIV/AIDS Control (VAAC), in collaboration with the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour and the US CDC, in Hanoi on September 14.

According to the VAAC, HIV transmission is increasing rapidly among people in the 16-29 age group, particularly in industrial zones in big cities and provinces. Many workers in industrial parks are infected with HIV, even many people don't know their condition until the AIDS stage.

The largest percentage of HIV infections is attributed to male-to-male sexual (MSM) acts.

The agency’s statistics showed that Vietnam has more than 222,000 HIV/AIDS cases at present, and over 112,300 people have died from HIV/AIDS. Since the beginning of this year, the number of new HIV cases has surpassed 11,000, while the number of fatalities has reached 1,582.

Dziuban said that the rate of HIV infections among the “men who have sex with men” (MSM) group, especially in the 15-29 age group, is increasing. In some localities, 80% of the new HIV infections are people working at enterprises and industrial parks, including migrant workers.

Therefore, the US CDC recognises the importance of multi-sectoral cooperation and partnership to minimise the impact of HIV, he stated, adding that that’s why the US CDC has cooperated with the VAAC and the VGCL at different levels to strengthen HIV prevention and control at workplace.

According to Dziuban, the US CDC has worked in Vietnam since 1998, and helped the country fight HIV/AIDS over the past more than 20 years. Through the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) programme, since 2003, thousands of people with HIV have gained access to new treatment methods which improve their quality of life, ensure work efficiency and allow them to maintain their healthy conditions.

In the second quarter of 2023, the PEPFAR Vietnam, including the US CDC, supported HIV testing for nearly 54,000 people of whom 1,800 were confirmed positive to HIV, and assisted 5,500 clients to start pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) treatment, and provided assistance for over 92,000 HIV carriers to receive the antiretroviral (ARV) therapy.

VAAC Deputy Director Vo Hai Son said that the document guiding the implementation of HIV/AIDS prevention and control helps localities implement activities to care and protect health for workers more easily.

He requested the health sector of provinces and cities to develop a plan to coordinate with the local labour federation and continue to disseminate this guidance document to the district level, especially in those with many industrial parks.

At the workshop, delegates shared experience in implementing HIV/AIDS prevention and control activities for workers, and solving arising difficulties./.