Anti-retroviral therapy treatment will be expanded, and prevention andharm-reduction measures increased to reduce the number of HIV/AIDS casesin Ho Chi Minh City, experts have said.
Earlyanti-retroviral (ARV) treatment will be launched next year, Tieu Thi ThuVan, head of the administrative office of Ho Chi Minh City's AIDSCommittee told a seminar held in the southern hub on December 10.
The early treatment will be offered in all medical units, includingprivate ones, to 2,500 patients, or 20 percent of the total number ofHIV/AIDS patients, by the end of 2015.
The aim is tohave early ARV treatment to cover 90 percent of infected persons by2025 in order to eliminate all cases in the 2025-30 period.
The number of ARV patients is expected to reach 26,000 by 2015, from an estimated 23,000 patients in 2013.
By 2015, the average number of patients per outpatient clinic is expected to be between 600 and 1,000.
This year, at least 5,200 patients were newly registered at more than30 outpatient clinics and nearly 3,000 patients were given ARVtreatment.
HIV/AIDS prevention in Ho Chi Minh Cityhas received 90-93 percent of its financial support from internationalorganisations.
However, such support is expected tofall, but the need is still high, which poses challenges forHIV/AIDS-prevention activities in the city, she said.
Le Truong Giang, chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Public HealthAssociation, said that funding for HIV/AIDS prevention programmes wouldrely on the State budget, health insurance and private funds, asinternational aid is falling sharply.
Fundingresources should be used efficiently, Giang said, adding that fundingfrom the Government and international organisations must be focused onactivities for target groups, such as pregnant women, high-risk peopleand patients infected with hepatitis and tuberculosis.
AIDS activities for other targetted groups will be assisted by private sources of support.
"Expanding HIV counseling and testing to detect HIV-infected casesearly is the first action to end the spread of the disease here," Giangsaid.
HIV-infected people "live with HIV, but dieby co-infection", he said, adding that harm-reduction interventionshould be targetted at those people with the highest behavioral risk.
Co-infections can come with HIV transmission (viablood, sexual relations or from mother to fetus). It is often seen withhepatitis B and hepatitis C, which evolve quietly and thus get lessattention compared with HIV, he said.-VNA
Earlyanti-retroviral (ARV) treatment will be launched next year, Tieu Thi ThuVan, head of the administrative office of Ho Chi Minh City's AIDSCommittee told a seminar held in the southern hub on December 10.
The early treatment will be offered in all medical units, includingprivate ones, to 2,500 patients, or 20 percent of the total number ofHIV/AIDS patients, by the end of 2015.
The aim is tohave early ARV treatment to cover 90 percent of infected persons by2025 in order to eliminate all cases in the 2025-30 period.
The number of ARV patients is expected to reach 26,000 by 2015, from an estimated 23,000 patients in 2013.
By 2015, the average number of patients per outpatient clinic is expected to be between 600 and 1,000.
This year, at least 5,200 patients were newly registered at more than30 outpatient clinics and nearly 3,000 patients were given ARVtreatment.
HIV/AIDS prevention in Ho Chi Minh Cityhas received 90-93 percent of its financial support from internationalorganisations.
However, such support is expected tofall, but the need is still high, which poses challenges forHIV/AIDS-prevention activities in the city, she said.
Le Truong Giang, chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Public HealthAssociation, said that funding for HIV/AIDS prevention programmes wouldrely on the State budget, health insurance and private funds, asinternational aid is falling sharply.
Fundingresources should be used efficiently, Giang said, adding that fundingfrom the Government and international organisations must be focused onactivities for target groups, such as pregnant women, high-risk peopleand patients infected with hepatitis and tuberculosis.
AIDS activities for other targetted groups will be assisted by private sources of support.
"Expanding HIV counseling and testing to detect HIV-infected casesearly is the first action to end the spread of the disease here," Giangsaid.
HIV-infected people "live with HIV, but dieby co-infection", he said, adding that harm-reduction interventionshould be targetted at those people with the highest behavioral risk.
Co-infections can come with HIV transmission (viablood, sexual relations or from mother to fetus). It is often seen withhepatitis B and hepatitis C, which evolve quietly and thus get lessattention compared with HIV, he said.-VNA
