Health

Hanoi has one more facility providing PrEP service for HIV prevention

A facility providing Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis – PrEP for HIV prevention was inaugurated at the Hanoi Medical University Hospital at No.1 Ton That Tung Street, Hanoi, on May 22.
Hanoi has one more facility providing PrEP service for HIV prevention ảnh 1A medical worker tests blood samples (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – A facilityproviding Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis – PrEP for HIV prevention was inaugurated atthe Hanoi Medical University Hospital at No.1 Ton That Tung Street, Hanoi, onMay 22.

The Hanoi Medical UniversityHospital is one of the eight medical establishments in Hanoi to launch thisservice in 2019 with the support of the Administration for HIV/AIDS Controlunder the Health Ministry and the US Centres for Disease Control and Preventionin Vietnam.

PrEP allows peoplewho do not have HIV but are at substantial risk of infection to prevent HIV bytaking a pill every day, as part of a combination HIV prevention strategy. When taken correctly, the treatment would reduce the risk of HIVinfection via unsafe sex by 90 percent or via injection drug use by 70 percent.

The service helps ease thedependence on physical measures to prevent HIV transmission such as condom orsafe syringe.

As of the end of2018, the number of alive HIV carriers in Vietnam was estimated at 250,000,with 10,000 new infections found a year.

Itis alarming that while HIV infections are reducedsignificantly in groups with high risks such as drugs addicts (from 29-30percent to 9-10 percent) and sex workers (from 5 percent to 3.4 percent), therate is rising in the group of men having sex with men (from 7.4 percent to11.4 percent), according to 2018 statistics.

It is estimated that Vietnam has around 174,000 men havingsex with men (MSM) aged from 15-49, including over 30,000 in Hanoi (or 17.5percent).

PrEP was first piloted in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in 2016. The Ministry ofHealth made it part of the direction for HIV/AIDS care and treatment in 2017and passed a plan to roll out the service for the 2018-2020 in 2018 with theprovision of free antiretroviral drugs for HIV treatment.

At present, over 2,000 people are using the service.

As scheduled, nine cities and provinces willsupply the service in 2019, and the figure will be raised to 11 in 2020, with thegoal of having 7,300 users.

Vietnam is the second country in Asia to launchPrEP service nationwide, after Thailand.-VNA
VNA
#Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis #PrEP service #PrEP for HIV prevention #Hanoi Medical University Hospital #HIV #AIDS #HIV transmission #HIV/AIDS care and treatment #updated Vietnam news #Vietnamplus #Vietnam News Agency
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