A medical worker at the General Hospital of Ha Dong district, Hanoi, gives advice to a pregnant women (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Various activities are underway in Hanoi to promote earlyHIV testing so as to achieve the 90 – 90 – 90 targets by 2020, also the themeof this year’s action month for HIV/AIDS prevention and control from November10 to December 10.
Deputy Director of the municipal PreventiveMedicine Centre La Thi Lan said during the month, Hanoi will hold conferencesand workshops on community-based HIV testing and assess the implementation ofthe 90 – 90 – 90 targets.
These targets aim that by 2020, 90 percent ofall people with HIV know their HIV status, 90 percent of all people withdiagnosed HIV will receive sustained antiretroviral therapy, and 90percent of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy will have viralsuppression.
Different activities to help prevent HIV/AIDSand raise public awareness have been implemented across 30 districts andtownships in Hanoi. They include the distribution of more than 1.7 million freesyringes and more than 260,000 free condoms to female sex workers and gay men.
[Infographics: Rate of mother-to-child HIV transmission falls to 3.6 percent]
Since the beginning of 2017, the local healthsector has worked with non-Governmental organisations to expand HIV screeningat the communal and ward level. There are 14 advisory offices on voluntary HIVtesting at the district level currently.
Lan said the municipal Department of Health willrun communication activities to raise public awareness, focusing on eradicatingHIV stigma and discrimination, the benefits of early HIV testing and periodictesting for high-risk groups, and the benefits of antiretroviral therapy andearly access to HIV/AIDS treatment services.
Eighteen establishments providing methadonetreatment for HIV patients have worked effectively in Hanoi. As of the end ofSeptember, about 4,800 persons with HIV had received methadone treatment in thecapital, Lan noted, adding that methadone replacement therapy has resulted inpositive outcomes, helping improve drug abusers’ health and reduce the use ofheroin.
Hanoi recorded 982 new HIV cases in the firstnine months of 2017. The Asian Epidemic Model forecasts the number ofHIV-infected people in the city to exceed 27,000 by 2020.-VNA
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